Heike Munder – författare

Born in London in 1943, Stephen Willats is a pioneer of conceptual art and has, over the course of more than five decades, created a multi-faceted body of work. This new book, published in conjunction with Migros Museum of Contemporary Art in Zurich, focuses on two key aspects of Willats' art. Cybernetics, the control of dynamic systems, in which he has taken a keen interest, serves him as method, aesthetic vocabulary, as well as a formal model. Subcultures that promote non-conformism and self-determination constitute another focal point in his wide-ranging work.The book offers a new approach to Willats' art from multiple perspectives. A comprehensive selection of both earlier and more recent works, some of them published here for the first time, is complemented by essays. The authors investigate that particular creative sphere in between cybernetics, architecture, and subculture within which Willats questions normative, regulating power structures and aims to discover personal freedom and alternative thought patterns. Published to coincide with the exhibition: 'Stephen Willats: Languages of Dissen't at the Migros Museum für gegenwartskunst, Zurich between 25 May and 8 August 2019.

'M Selection' features a selection of works from the Migros Museum of Contemporary Art's collection by 27 Swiss and international artists. It examines the artists and their works and puts them in context with various artistic movements from the second half of the 20th century: Pop Art, Minimalism, Post-Minimalism, Land Art, Performance, Photography and conceptual Art, Feminist and Appropriation Art. The fully illustrated book gives brief texts on the featured works. Two introductory essays on the entire collection and the exhibition concept complete the book. 'M Selection' is published to coincide with an exhibition at the Musee Rath in Geneva.Artists featured include: Marc Camille Chaimowicz (French), Cosey Fanni Tutti (British), Thea Djordjadze (Georgian, working in Germany), Hamish Fulton (British), Douglas Gordon (British [Scottish]), Mathilde ter Heijne (Dutch, working in Germany), Daniel Knorr (Romanian, working in Germany), Sol LeWitt (American), Babette Mangolte (French, working in the USA), Bruce Nauman (American), Gerhard Richter (German), Markus Schinwald (Austrian), Katharina Sieverding (German), Alina Szapocznikow (Polish, worked in France), Oscar Tuazon (American), Andy Warhol (American), Stephen Willats (British), Christopher Wool (American), and others.

The appearance of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in the early 1980s and its subsequent rapid spread around the world has left deep marks in society. The illness itself and its effects on society have also caused manifold responses by artists and activists in many countries.United by AIDS, published in conjunction with an extensive group show on the topic of loss, remembrance, activism and art in response to HIV/AIDS at Zurich's Migros Museum of Contemporary Art (Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst), sheds light on the multi-faceted and complex interrelation between art and HIV/AIDS from the 1980s to the present. It examines the blurred boundaries between art production and HIV/AIDS activism and showcases artists who played - and still play - leading roles in this discourse. Alongside images of artworks and brief texts on the represented artists, the book features voices from the past and present. Essays by Douglas Crimp, Alexander García Düttmann, Raphael Gygax, Elsa Himmer, Ted Kerr, Elisabeth Lebovici ,and Nurja Ritter broaden the view of the international discourse on HIV/AIDS and society's confrontation with the disease. Published to accompany an exhibition: 'United by AIDS - An Exhibition about Loss, Remembrance, Activism and Art in Response to HIV/AIDS' at the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich from 31 August to 2 November 2019.