Hans-Ulrich Obrist
Hans-Ulrich Obrist
Hans-Ulrich Obristis an art curator, critic and historian of art. He is artistic director at the Serpentine Galleries, London. Obrist is the author of The Interview Project, an extensive ongoing project of interviews. He is also co-editor of the Cahiers d'art revue...
NationalitySwiss
ProfessionCritic
CountrySwitzerland
I started going to exhibitions in Switzerland when I was 10 or 11. As a schoolboy, I would go every afternoon to see the long, thin figures of Giacometti.
felt good incredibly
Switzerland felt incredibly narrow, growing up. It was good, in a way. There were so many museums. But it was always a no-brainer that I would have to leave, and I'm grateful for that.
conversation
When I was 17, I met many artists, and it started to become this conversation with artists out of which all of my exhibitions grew.
art both notion obsessed
When I was a kid and started to be obsessed by art in the 1980s, the art world was in this polarity Warhol/Beuys, Beuys/Warhol. Both expended the notion of art extremely, but in very different ways.
art includes showing
To keep art stimulating, it's important to open it up to new horizons, which includes showing it in unexpected contexts.
art clearly happen power
To be honest, I think, for me, the power is always with art. The art world clearly couldn't happen without art.
deeper work
There is nothing deeper than to work for a year with the same artist.
art life mix utility
The non-utility of my kitchen could be transformed into its utility for art. To do a show there would mix art and life, naturally.
favourite
One of my favourite exhibitions is called 'Do It,' which I co-curated with the artists Christian Boltanski and Bertrand Lavier 21 years ago.
famous gallery
My most famous show is the 'Kitchen Show.' More famous than any gallery show or museum show I curated.
realise
Many artists have not been able to realise their fondest projects. My role is to help them.
knew quite
It's quite an obscure notion for a kid, no? To want to be a curator. But even then, I knew that I would do this.
morning
I don't wake up in the morning and think about Franz Kline.
disperse
Exhibitions usually are not collected; they disperse after they take place.