17 Waves

Shahryar Nashat explores the space between the real, tangible object and the incorporeal—be it a sensation, an idea, or a virtual image. His art is never assertive. Neither is this book, published to accompany the artist’s new project for MASI Lugano and Istituto Svizzero in Rome. Fashioned as an instructional catalogue, instead of providing a key to interpreting the works, it leads the reader to a state of uncertainty and attraction, becoming an emotional composition. Following the artist’s plea to forego thorough rational understanding, the book acquires a rhythm of its own, which goes in and out of the body and amplifies feeling. Nashat inserts his art in the pages of this manual, strips it of its aura, flaunts its nature as an object and describes step-by-step how to create it. Here are 17 chances to get it. Concept by Sabo Day, Shahryar Nashat and Kristian Vistrup Madsen Edited by Francesca Benini and Gioia Dal Molin Texts by Kristian Vistrup Madsen, Francesca Benini and Gioia Dal Molin Design by Sabo Day Published with MASI Lugano and Istituto Svizzero, Rome/Milan/Palermo. 2024, English/Italian, softcover, 23.5 x 32 cm, 144 pages