For Reasons of State

Independent Study Program

Campens Angelique, Cooke Erica, Lam Steven

"For Reasons of State" examines how our ability to function as a democracy is compromised by governmental secrecy. Looking at contemporary art, the book explores notions of institutional concealment through the work of such artists as the Bureau of Inverse Technology, Jenny Holzer, Lin + Lam, Mark Lombardi, Trevor Paglen, and Susan Schluppi – all of whom provide the public with a new way of looking at information that is otherwise censored or misrepresented due to government or corporate influence.

About the Author

Angelique Campens is an independent curator and critic who works for nonprofit galleries and public spaces.

Erica Cooke is an independent curator and writer based in New York.

Steven Lam is an artist and independent curator and teaches art history and theory at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

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