Journal of Art Historiography (Dec 2020)
The Artist Interview – An interdisciplinary approach to its history, process and dissemination: Preface
Abstract
Why has there been no history of the artist interview as a critical genre in its own right? The critical introduction, two papers and four documents in this special issue consider the interview’s significance beyond that of a historical source and journalistic tool. They scrutinise the process of conducting and disseminating an interview, from pre-production to post-production, considering the ethics implicated in what is modified. Treating the life of the artist interview – rather than just the life of the artist – as an object of study offers an alternative to the biographic model of interviews (as emphasised in oral history, for example). This approach expands the scope of the artist interview to include more creative uses, such as a form of artistic practice in alternative contemporary art magazines, or in performance, sound and video art. The political potential for artist interviews is also explored, as a means of contesting dominant art-historical narratives.
