Published by DelMonico Books/MASS MoCA. Edited by Denise Markonish. Foreword by Joseph Thompson. Introduction by Glenn Kaino. Text by Stacey Abrams, Amir Ahmadi Arian, Kimberly Juanita Brown, Mike Caveney, Brian Dooley, Laura Fried, David Gruber, Deon Jones, Janna Levin, Denise Markonish, Chus Martínez.
Published for the Los Angeles–based interdisciplinary artist Glenn Kaino’s (born 1972) largest exhibition to date, In the Light of a Shadow, this book showcases his work and how art can chronicle parallel trajectories of disparate political and geographical contexts, utilizing history to speak about our present, and art to facilitate political action and hope. Kaino has built his career in the space between these two; creating projects that are based on the magic of trust, fair promises and righting the lapses in memory and omissions of history, all while creating beautifully hopeful and immersive installations. This Book Is a Promise is organized in a galaxy-like structure, with different aspects of Kaino’s production over the years represented as intertwined constellations. Additionally, the book reads in two directions, Memory and Promise, each with their own cover. The Memory side presents a retrospective survey, while the Promise surveys the MASS MoCA exhibition. Themes explored include equity, visibility, belief, regeneration and space-making. This publication gives context to Kaino’s diverse practice, provides promises for people to follow to live in a better, more humane world and serves as a field guide to being human.
Published by Hatje Cantz. Text by Eungie Joo, Daniel Chamberlin, Hu Fang, Lauri Firstenberg.
Cofounder of Los Angeles' artist-run Deep River Gallery, former Creative Director of Napster and creator of ueber.com, a MySpace alternative made for and by artists, Los Angeles-based artist Glenn Kaino has a multifaceted creative practice. His 2007 interactive installation work, Burning Boards--a room filled with chessboards whose pieces are different-size burning candles, in which competitors play matches using tongs to move the dripping candles--is characteristic of his playfulness and his penchant for meditating on political, pop-cultural and identity issues without being literal. This monograph, which focuses on kinetic sculptures and large-scale installations created over the past 10 years, includes contributions by Hu Fang, Director of Guangzhou's Vitamin Creative Space, LAXART founder Lauri Firstenberg and Eugenie Joo, Director of Education and Public Programs at the New Museum. Born in 1970, Glenn Kaino, who was included in the 2004 Whitney Biennial, is currently represented by The Project in New York.