Bert Theis: Building Philosophy – Cultivating Utopia

Edited by Christophe Gallois and Marion Vergin, in collaboration with Enrico Lunghi and Mariette Schiltz

Exhibition catalogue published by Mudam Luxembourg – Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean and Mousse Publishing, 2019

Texts by Suzanne Cotter, Enrico Lunghi, Markus Pilgram, Gerald Raunig, Marco Scotini, Elvira Vannini, and Marion Vergin

Graphic design: Matteo Gualandris/Mousse

English/French

16.5 x 24 cm, 216 p.

“The work of Luxembourg artist Bert Theis (1952–2016), at once poetic and politically engaged, conceptual and sensitive, personal and collective, evolved from a reflection on the role that art can play in society. Its most prominent manifestations were ‘platforms’ and ‘pavilions’ in various cities across Europe and Asia that visitors, passersby, and locals were encouraged to use for moments of rest, contemplation, exchange, or action—spaces where the idea of a ‘concrete utopia’ took shape. Theis was also one of the main protagonists of the Isola Art Center in Milan, a collective and transversal platform for debate and activism around issues of urban redevelopment, which he cofounded in 2001. Accompanying the first retrospective exhibition of the artist at Mudam Luxembourg – Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, this monographic publication surveys his entire career.” (Mudam éditions)

I translated most of the texts from French or German to English and did some additional editing.