Celeste Magazine Discusses Art Journalism as Decolonial Resistance in 15th Anniversary Interview

In an interview published on their website, the Brazilian art publication Celeste reflects on its 15-year history and philosophy. The magazine, which describes itself as having a decolonial, plural, fluid, and libertarian identity that took 14 years to fully assume, positions art journalism as an act of resistance. They resist what they see as the transformation of the media sphere into a territory of misinformation and the conversion of art institutions into shielded neoliberal enterprises. Celeste views its role as providing substantial art reporting and criticism intended to unsettle readers, provoke thought, and honor the agents within the art world. The publication addresses the contemporary media landscape, noting the expansion and professionalization of the arts production chain and the growing expectation for self-representation, which creates a cacophony of voices. They describe their own writing process as collaborative, involving multiple authors with alternating signatures, likening it to a 'cadavre exquis' technique. When asked about their indispensability to art debates, they characterize themselves as a method for organizing reality while simultaneously complicating and problematizing superficial perspectives that lead to a homogenization of ideas about art. The interview concludes with a discussion on artificial writing and authorship, suggesting the next Documenta in Kassel could be curated by an algorithm and describing critical authorship after the 'death of the author' as a sacrifice of originality for reproductive voracity.