Kaldor Public Art Projects
Making Art Public, 1969–2019

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the world’s first public arts organisation in a beautifully produced large-scale volume.

In 1969, at the invitation of John Kaldor, New York–based artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude created the largest single artwork that had ever been made. Shrouding one million square feet of Little Bay with fabric and rope, Wrapped Coast was a groundbreaking piece of public art that propelled Sydney into the international art scene and left an indelible mark on Australian culture. On the fiftieth anniversary of Wrapped Coast, Kaldor Public Art Projects (KPAP), the first organisation of its kind anywhere in the world, celebrated half a century of bringing leading contemporary artists and their works to Australian audiences.

Making Art Public draws on the extensive KPAP archive to chart the history of the organisation. Revealing never before seen material, this comprehensive publication examines each of the thirty-five projects from inception to realisation. Deftly curated by  Genevieve O’Callaghan and Mark Gowing,  Making Art Public presents the collection of correspondence, artist's sketches, research documentation, plans and installations as an annotated collection via practice, rather than project, that focusses on the repetition of execution, providing the reader with insight into how these complex public art projects were brought to life. Featuring an incredible group of prominent artists including Marina Abramović, John Baldessari, Vanessa Beecroft, Christo, Thomas Demand, Gilbert & George, Jonathan Jones, Jeff Koons, Sol LeWitt, Richard Long, Charlotte Moorman, Tatzu Nishi, Nam June Paik, Ugo Rondinone, Gregor Schneider and Bill Viola.

Acclaimed international curator Hans Ulrich Obrist interviews all the project artists about their process and intention, their successes and failures, dreams and utopias. Award-winning Australian author David Malouf looks back over five decades of KPAP projects and considers how these artists have changed the very fabric of our public spaces, remaking the story of our cities.

The book also celebrates Making Art Public the exhibition, the 35th Kaldor Public Art Project, created by British artist Michael Landy and presented at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. The exhibition is both an archival representation and artistic response to the history of KPAP projects. The book catalogues the exhibition, its public programs and new commissions with Australian contemporary artists.

Featuring personal recollections from John Kaldor's life in art, Making Art Public traces an unparalleled history of public art, a story of international significance grounded in Australia.

Hardcover
524 Pages
215 × 315 mm
Editor: Genevieve O’Callaghan, Mark Gowing
Design: Formist
Texts: Nicholas Baume, Nicholas Chambers, Rebecca Coates, Ross Gibson, Ross Rudesch Harley, Michael Landy, David Malouf, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Emily Sullivan
ISBN: 978-0-9806772-7-0
Publisher: Kaldor Public Art Projects
2019

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