Lenz publishes books on contemporary art, photography, architecture and design.
Our imprint includes catalogues, monographs, theory and artist books.
Featuring new contributions by Sitara Abuzar Ghaznawi and a wealth of commissioned texts and writings, this book is conceived as a continuation of the exhibition held at Cabaret Voltaire, Zurich and, in a modified form, at Swiss Institute, New York.
In a context in which institutions are facing a surge of public scrutiny, the publication revisits the artistic practice of institutional critique to ask what it means today, and to consider its ability to respond to the urgent social, political, and economic issues of our time.
Covering the past thirty years of Scott’s practice, this monograph offers the largest comprehensive selection of paintings, drawings, masks and architectural models, as well as an unique insight on his creative and transformative approach.
A first monograph on Shahryar Nashat, generously illustrated with color photographs of the artist’s work and new scholarly contributions. Published in conjunction with two solo exhibitions, at Kunsthalle Basel and Swiss Institute in New York.
The first reference monograph dedicated to the artist and audio investigator, this book analyzes a practice that has been consistently exploring ‘the politics of listening’ and the role of sound and voice within the law and human rights.
Lam-See Lam’s storytelling develops through text, animations, and sculptural installations. Her multifaceted stories explore the narrative of the Cantonese diaspora in Sweden and examine questions of cultural identity.
Edited by Daniel Baumann
Trajal Harrell in conversation with Daniel Baumann
Designed by Lorenzo Mason Studio
Co-published with Kunsthalle Zürich
2026, English, softcover, 11 × 18 cm, 184 pages
ISBN 979-12-82771-00-9
This is the very first book on the influential American choreographer and dancer Trajal Harrell. It takes the form of an entertaining, far-reaching conversation on the entirety of his choreographies and performances—hence its title of “Catalogue Raisonné.”
Since starting out on his prolific career in 1999, Harrell has presented his work worldwide and in a variety of contexts, on scales both large and small: from renown theaters to international festivals, libraries to public panels, prestigious little art galleries and museums to Kunsthalles and biennials. The long list includes, among many others, the Museum of Modern Art and the New Museum in New York, the Barbican Centre in London, the Schauspielhaus Zürich, the Kunsthalle Zürich, the Münchner Kammerspiele, the Fondation Cartier Paris, the Festival d’Avignon, and the Manchester International Festival.
The conversation with Swiss curator Daniel Baumann unfolds along the multiple trails blazed by Harrell’s career. It brings into sharp focus not only the artist’s interests and influences but also his own creative practice, encompassing both successes and failures. With disarming frankness and a tangible sense of vulnerability, Harrell walks the reader through the history of dance: He explains how he fought with it, how it has shaped him (and vice versa), and how he has gradually carved out a space of his own within it.
Harrell gained international acclaim for his seven-year project Twenty Looks or Paris is Burning at the Judson Church. Across eight different versions, he imagined an encounter between 1960s Harlem voguing and early downtown postmodern dance. These different choreographies share a sense of historical speculation: What would have happened in 1963 if someone from the voguing ballroom scene had come down to the Judson Church in Greenwich Village to perform alongside the early postmoderns? The voguing dance tradition refers to the competitive balls that were staged in Harlem dance halls, beginning in the 1960s. These were a form of social performance practiced primarily by African American and Latino gays, and trans people. One of the main elements of voguing is the performing of social and gender identities through fashion, movement, and behavior. At the same historical moment, in the 1960s, the pioneers of postmodern dance broke with the traditional representations of classical and modern dance, becoming interested in dance without artifice and concerning themselves instead with “authenticity.”
This is only one of several dance forms that, throughout his career, Harrell has investigated in order to transform and transgress the history of dance. By engaging with Hoochie Coochie, the culture of fashion and runway, butoh, and the dances of Greek Antiquity, Harrell challenges us to re-think dance from a multiplicity of different and sometimes conflicting perspectives.
Photos: Nicola Gnesi