from a recording of Richard Wright’s ephemeral paintings to a monograph of Manal AlDowayan’s participatory works

Manal AlDowayan: Participatory (The Art Library), Mona Khazindar (ed), Rizzoli International Publications, 128pp, $60 (box set)

Manal AlDowayan, an established Saudi artist, worked for oil company Saudi Aramco for ten years, where she joined the company’s art group and curated exhibitions of her work. She then moved to Dubai before moving to London to study at the Royal College of Art. “His work over the years has evolved into participatory acts that communicate personal stories to the world,” says one editor. Featured works include Now You See Me, Now You Do notAl Ula (2020-21), an installation made up of trampolines and solar-powered LED lights that was presented during the first edition of the Desert X contemporary art exhibition in AlUla, Saudi Arabia.

Non Vital: Sculpture, Alma Zevi, Skira/Thames & Hudson, 468pp, €60 (hb)

Gallery owner Alma Zevi examines the life and work of Swiss sculptor and painter Not Vital, exploring how “folklore, nature and identity are manifested in Vital’s output,” according to an editor’s statement. The book presents more than 450 sculptures and other works, as well as archival documents and interviews with the artist. “The publication is scholarly but also a personal account of Vital’s life and work, giving new perspectives on his techniques and ideas,” Zevi said. The Arts Journal. Key works discussed include the 1981 sculpture stone eater and works from the 1990s series featuring woodwinds that spell the words “Fuck Off”.

Natural Light: The Art of Adam Elsheimer and the Dawn of Modern ScienceJulian Bell, Thames and Hudson, 256pp, £25 (hb)

Julian Bell re-evaluates the life and work of little-known 16th-century German artist Adam Elsheimer, shedding light on the era’s debates around art, literature, science and what constituted the essence of “nature”. Bell writes, “I want to bring out not only the lyricism and humanity of his images, but the complexity of his thought and the way it relates to the debates about nature that were circulating in his time. An editor’s statement adds: “By focusing on some of Elsheimer’s most haunting compositions, Bell tackles the anxieties that underlie them – a conundrum about existential questions that are still relevant today.” today.”

Richard WrightWill Bradly and Martin Clark (contributors), Gagosian, 362pp, £120 (hb)

This monograph serves an important function, recording many of the ephemeral works by Turner Prize-winning artist Richard Wright that no longer exist, including installations in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna and the Volksbühne in Berlin. Wright usually works in situ and has compared his technique to the improvisations of a jazz musician. The monograph, which explores works made between 2010 and 2020, also focuses on permanent works, including Wright’s geometric wall design at Elizabeth Line station in London’s Tottenham Court Road. “One of Wright’s few permanent pieces, it spans the concrete ceiling above the escalators, providing a subtly changing experience for ascending and descending travelers,” wrote Louisa Buck of The Art Newspaper upon its unveiling.

Through the Ruins (Discussions of Human Rights and the Arts 1)Fawz Kabra (ed), Center for Human Rights and the Arts, 194pp (pb)

This post shines a light on arts activism, featuring the first lecture forum at the OSUN Center for Human Rights and the Arts at Bard College, New York, in 2021. Contributors include the arts writing platform based in United Kingdom The White Pube and the Geneva Border Forensics, an NGO based in New York. The White Pube, the collaborative alter ego of Zarina Muhammad and Gabrielle de la Puente, said: “The institutions [in the UK] hold the power, and they tend to be made up of middle-class white people who offer jobs and opportunities to other middle-class white people. It is almost impossible to make a living in the arts if you are not white, middle class and not disabled, or if you are insecure or marginalized in any way.