Vito Acconci by Mark C. Taylor, Jennifer Bloomer, Frazer Ward Phaidon Contemporary Artists Phaidon Press September 2002 Vito Acconci is a key late twentieth-century pioneer of performance, video, installation and the exploration of architectural space. His work has expanded art’s boundaries, moving beyond the gallery or museum into shared public spaces. Initially a poet, Acconci began making Conceptual art in the late 1960s. He devised actions, enacted them and documented them with texts, photographs or video. In 1972 he produced the most famous performance installation of its time, Seedbed. In an empty gallery he built a low ramp, concealed beneath which he stimulated himself with sexual fantasies about viewers walking above, speaking his fantasies into a microphone linked to loudspeakers. Startled spectators found themselves implicated in an intimate power relationship between artist and viewer. Since the mid 1980s his work has turned towards experimental architectural projects. In 1988 he set up the architectural practice Acconci Studio, which has public commissions around the world and was featured at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2001. Acconci’s work remains of vital importance not only to Conceptual art and performance, but to contemporary architectural theory and practice. Phaidon Contemporary Artists is a highly acclaimed series of authoritative and highly illustrated studies of important living artists. Each title offers the most comprehensive survey currently available of the artist’s work. These ground-breaking books provide incisive analyses and multiple perspectives on contemporary art and its inspiration. They are essential sourcebooks for everyone concerned with the art of today. Each title features: c.120 colour illustrations, documenting the artist's career to date a survey of all the artist's key works an interview commissioned specially for the book a focus concentrating on a single work of art the artist's choice of a text from literature, philosophy or science which has influenced him or her a selection of the artist's writings a fully illustrated chronology charting exhibitions, significant projects and their critical reception Reviews The boldest, best-executed and most far-reaching publishing project devoted to contemporary art. These books will revolutionize the way contemporary art is presented and written about. Artforum A unique series of informative monographs on individual artists. Sunday Times Gives the reader the impression of a personal encounter with the artists. Apart from the writing which is lucid and illuminating, it is undoubtedly the wealth of lavish illustrations which makes looking at these books a satisfying entertainment. The Art Book