Elephant # 29

Two Hands Good, Twelve Hands Better! The Art Collectives Issue

Visual creativity in the twentieth century could be said to have been a series of –isms and art movements dominated by the great, self-promoting names of the age (Picasso, Dalí, Warhol). The twenty-first century, by contrast, is characterised by collectives driven by a more altruistic, anonymous ethos.

So in this issue we look at the growing appeal of working collectively, asking: Are collectives displacing the isolated artistic genius? We offer profiles of the leading lights of the we’re-in-this-together generation – Guerrilla Girls, Gelitin, ChimPom, Tim Rollins and K.O.S – as well as younger, emerging female groups such as Go! Push Pops, iQhiya, OOMK and the Tomorrow Girls Troop.

There’s also a special Paper Gallery dedicated to the collaborative work of Raymond Pettibon and Marcel Dzama, in addition to Encounters with Kerry James Marshall, Ugo Rondinone, Cornelia Parker, Refik Anadol and Jessica Stockholder.