In 1999, when INCCA was created to develop, share, and preserve knowledge related to contemporary artist materials and working methods, artist interviews were envisioned to be essential to collecting such information. Nearly twenty-five years later, interviewing artists has indeed become one of the most established tools used by conservators of contemporary art. As a field, we have become more and more familiar with artist interviews, while also increasingly aware of the ethical and practical complexities associated with them. As part of its Cafés and Talks, INCCA is revisiting the question of interviews to explore and unpack these complexities and pitfalls. The themes explored will include interviews within the eco-system around the artist with stakeholders such as assistants, fabricators, estates and collectors. We'll also discuss interview versus oral history methodologies and theory, questions of knowledge, authority and power, as well as archiving and ethical use.
The first event in this series will be a Café focusing on Interviews: The Artist Assistant on 21st September, 2022.
Call for Contribution
Artist assistants, fabricators and other contributors to art making processes often provide invaluable information in relation to the artist’s work. How can their knowledge and experience be documented? How do these interviews inform conservation?
We would love to hear about your experiences conducting interviews and oral history projects with the makers who realize an artist’s vision. What unique perspective did they bring? What challenges did you face? What ethical aspects needed to be taken into consideration?
*The call for contributions has been closed. The program will be announced shortly.