Nari Ward catalog at Pirelli HangarBicocca rethinks exhibition documentation

The catalog for Nari Ward's 2024 retrospective 'Ground Break' at Pirelli HangarBicocca, published by Marsilio, exemplifies how exhibition catalogs can transcend mere documentation. The volume, edited by Roberta Tenconi and Lucia Aspesi, features a blue cover that echoes the filament of Ward's 'Hunger Cradle' (1996), continuing the venue's tradition of covers that reflect the exhibition's character. The first chapter includes about seventy photographs by Agostino Osio, capturing the monumental scale of the show, including suspended works and the 'Geography Trilogy' (1997–2004) sets adapted from Ralph Lemon's choreography. The second part contains essays by Christina Sharpe, who analyzes the layered meaning of Ward's found objects, and Jessica Bell Brown, who highlights collaboration in Ward's practice. Individual texts on specific works replace impersonal catalogue entries. Two conversations conclude the volume: one between Ward and curators Tenconi and Aspesi, another with Ralph Lemon. The catalog is bilingual (English and Italian), though the Italian text is not fully integrated.