THE QUICK AND THE DEAD

The Quick and the Dead, 2009, book cover

The Quick and the Dead (2009) is a thought-provoking exhibition catalog that accompanied the Walker Art Center’s groundbreaking exhibition of the same name. Edited by Peter Eleey and featuring contributions from Olaf Blanke, Ina Blom, Peter Osborne, and Margaret and Christine Wertheim, the book explores themes of time, mortality, and the limits of human perception through contemporary art. With a diverse range of essays and artistic interpretations, the volume engages deeply with how artists navigate ephemeral existence and the metaphysical dimensions of their work. It reflects on how art can challenge our understanding of reality, bridging philosophical inquiries with sensory experiences.

The book’s contributors provide a multidisciplinary perspective, drawing from philosophy, neuroscience, and art history to analyze the ways artists manipulate time, space, and memory. Works featured in the exhibition and discussed in the text often embrace the intangible—whether through fleeting performances, conceptual installations, or scientific explorations of consciousness. The Quick and the Dead serves as both a documentation of the exhibition and a broader meditation on the transient nature of life and art. It is an essential read for those interested in the intersection of contemporary art and existential inquiry, offering profound insights into how creative expression grapples with the mysteries of existence.

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