Founded in 2003, Manifesta Journal is an international journal that focuses on the practices and theories of contemporary curating. Manifesta Journal is an independent project, initiated by the Manifesta Foundation. The format of Manifesta Journal (MJ), like the Manifesta biennial, is a changing model. It aims to be both self-reflective and critical toward international curating and biennials in general, but also toward its own functional mechanisms. Every six editions, a new editorial team from diverse areas of Europe and beyond is invited to develop a different concept for the series, to reflect on contemporary Europe and the world.
After the comprehensive grammar and manual for contemporary curatorship established in the first six issues of Manifesta Journal, MJ #1–6, by Viktor Misiano and Igor Zabel and which continued in the series of six issues that were realized between 2009–2011 by Viktor Misiano, Senior Editor Nathalie Zonnenberg and Associate Editor Filipa Ramos, the editorial work of the Manifesta Journal for the upcoming six issues, MJ #13–18, has been taken over by Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez as Chief Editor and Virginie Bobin.
Manifesta Journal can be regarded as a porous platform to reconsider the meanings and the effects of curatorial practices today focusing on urgent (geo)political, humanistic, instigating and controversial potentialities. The new, encompassing subtitle, “Around Curatorial Practices” marks the trajectory from the previous subtitle, “Journal of contemporary curatorship”.
The editorial team wishes to reflect upon current practices of reading, researching, publishing and curating that have been enabled by the internet and its social technologies, while exploring new formats and advocating the open circulation of knowledge through a free online and downloadable Manifesta Journal. Most of its texts are now licensed through Creative Commons. Every two months, a blogger-in-residency is invited to share his/her research in progress: reflections on, assessments of, and reactions to a specific subject. Go to the blog here.
Changing Guest Editors have been invited to collaborate on one or more issues of the series.
MJ #13 is guest edited by the Manifesta 9 curatorial team under the guidance of Cuauhtémoc Medina, in collaboration with the associate curators Katerina Gregos and Dawn Ades. MJ #14-16 will be realized with the collaboration of Rasha Salti.
Read the editorial statement by Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez and Virginie Bobin here.
Editorial Team:
Chief Editor: Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez
Associate Editor: Virginie Bobin
Guest Editor MJ#14-16: Rasha Salti
Managing Editor: Lisa Mazza
Copy Editor: Shannon d'Avout
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