Sculptor, detective, draughtsman and some time chef, Iraqi-American artist Michael Rakowitz (New York, 1973) takes his cue from the histories of buildings and objects to create enthralling environments. Moved by both the utopian aspirations and the disasters of modernity, Rakowitz’s work focuses on place and time—modernist St. Louis, Art Nouveau Istanbul, post-Taliban Afghanistan, turn of the century Iraq.
A consummate storyteller, he explores the fall out of conflict and exile while delighting in the vernacular and activist strategies that communities in extremis adopt to survive.
This fully illustrated survey of his most important works is accompanied by an essay by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, an interview with Michael Rakowitz by Iwona Blazwick and a range of perspectives contributed by Habda Rashid, Nora Razian, Ella Shohat and Marianna Vecellio.

London, Whitechapel Gallery, June - August 2019
Turin, Castello di Rivoli, October 2019 - January 2020
Dubai, Jameel Art Centre, March - August 2020

Contents

Visual Essay
Essays and Conversation

A Letter on intentions, people, projects and enchanted things
Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev

Michael Rakowitz: A Transatlantic Interview
Iwona Blazwick

Culinary Ghosting: A Journey through a Sweet-and-Sour Iraq
Ella Shohat

Ties That Bind
Marianna Vecellio

Take Care of the World
Habda Rashid

A Particulate History
Nora Razian

WORKS

END MATTER

Biography

Chronology and Anthology
edited by Marianna Vecellio

Exhibited works

Bibliography

Artist’s project
Michael Rakowitz