[...]
In
her recent book Artificial Hells
(2012) the British art historian Claire Bishop argues that the idea of the
‘collective’ has become “one of the most pertinent themes of advanced art and
exhibition-making of the last decade” (:12).
There is an increasing tendency among artists who want to engage with
the public sphere either to form their own collectives in order to practically
and conceptually negate the tendency to self-interest and individualization
that dominates the workings of capitalist society or work with collectives (or
‘communities’) so as to empower or possibly politicize their doings. In any
case according to Bishop collaborative practices are “perceived to be equally
important artistic gestures of resistance” since they are all interested
in rehearsing a being-together distinct from market imperatives or, in her
words, in engaging in “an art of action, interfacing with reality, taking steps
to repair the social bond” (2012:13).
