A thought-provoking collection of quotations from one of the most influential figures in the contemporary art world

Hans Ulrich Obrist is one of the most celebrated curators working today and has twice been ranked #1 on ArtReview’s annual list of the most important people in the art world. As the primary or lead author of more than forty volumes of interviews with contemporary artists, of numerous exhibition catalogues for museums around the world, and of influential books on curation, he has established himself as a pivotal figure in contemporary art and culture. Drawn from Obrist’s writings, interviews, and other sources, Obrist-isms gathers a wealth of fascinating quotations from across his career, offering insights on everything from his approach to curating and his affinity with philosopher Édouard Glissant to his interest in artists’ unrealized projects.

Obrist-isms is organized into seven thematic sections: Early Years; Curating and Exhibitions; Artists and Conversations; Archiving, Collecting, and Unrealized Projects; Édouard Glissant and Mondialité; On Sleep and Time; Art and the Environment; and Technology and the Future of Art. The book also features an introduction and a brief chronology of Obrist’s life and career.



“Art is the highest form of hope.”
“The motor, the engine, is curiosity. Curating is connected to curiosity.”
“What is happening outside the museum is just as important as what’s happening inside. Make the walls porous. Think beyond exhibitions. Foster alliances.”
“If there was ever a time that the world needed artists, it is now. We need their radical ideas, visions, and perspectives in society.”
“There are many amazing unrealized projects out there: forgotten projects, misunderstood projects, lost projects, desk-drawer projects, poetic-utopian dream projects, unrealizable projects, partially realized projects, censored projects and so on.”
“I believe in generosity as a medium.”