Symbolic Machines

How does a changed understanding of the museum’s public role influence the way exhibitions are created today? In what ways can exhibitions transform, question, or revise art institutions from within? With contributions from artists, scholars, and curators, the book Symbolic Machines explores how exhibitions not only reflect but also challenge and reshape a museum’s relevance to its audiences.

Artistic critics have long pointed to the gendered, class-based, and colonial power structures embedded in institutions. Recently, however, there has been a shift toward institutional self-critique, with even major museums increasingly addressing their practices and narratives in public dialogue with their audiences. By integrating historical context with contemporary analyses, Symbolic Machines investigates these transformations and shows how museums and exhibitions can actively engage with societal change.

Edited by Pernille Lystlund Matzen, curator and PhD, and Jacob Lund, Associate Professor of Aesthetics and Culture at Aarhus University, this volume presents a diverse range of perspectives on the evolving practices and critical functions of museums and exhibitions. Contributors include Nora Sternfeld, Yvette Mutumba, Cem A., Kim West, Giulia Bellinetti, Lucia Pietroiusti, and James Voorhies.

The book is published in collaboration with the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art and Yale University Press.