Artistic Experimentation in Exhibition Practice: Afterall's Exhibition Histories

Afterall's Exhibition Histories series explores how artists have experimented with exhibition formats. The series covers three key case studies: 'an Exhibit' (1957), a collaboration between artists Richard Hamilton and Victor Pasmore and critic Lawrence Alloway, which investigated abstract environmental forms and participatory viewer roles; APTART (1982–84), a series of self-organised 'anti-shows' in Moscow apartments and outdoor spaces that challenged Soviet authorities; and Chiang Mai Social Installation (1992–98), artist-led festivals in everyday city locations like temples, cemeteries, and a dental clinic, offering an anarchic alternative to Southeast Asia's biennial culture. The twelfth title in the series, 'Art and its Worlds: Exhibitions, Institutions and Art Becoming Public', was introduced by Lucy Steeds, David Morris, Charles Esche, and Bo Choy on 4 August 2021. A related talk on APTART featuring artists Nikita Alekseev and Vadim Zakharov with scholar Margarita Tupitsyn took place on 23 September 2017.