Mousse Magazine & Publishing

“Skank Bloc Bologna: Alternative Art Spaces since 1977” is a book edited by Roberto Pinto and Francesco Spampinato that reconstructs the history of nonprofit exhibition spaces in Bologna from 1977 up to the present. Whether individual initiatives, cooperative enterprises, or social centers, the spaces featured in this volume devised the real “Bologna model”: one-of-a-kind, compared both to the situation in other Italian cities and to the international scene. The book’s title references a 1978 song by the English post-punk band Scritti Politti, emblematic of the international perception of Bologna as the epicenter of political agitation and cultural innovation. Historic spaces covered include Traumfabrik, Cassero, neon, Link Project, and Il Campo delle Fragole. The project was the winner of the eleventh edition of the Italian Council (2022) call for proposals issued by the General Directorate for Creativity of the Italian Ministry of Culture. Edited by Roberto Pinto and Francesco Spampinato Texts by Roberto Pinto, Francesco Spampinato, Andrea Lissoni, Lara De Lena and Davide Da Pieve

Michael E. Smith occasionally creates drawings as organizational notes for his exhibitions: a to-do list may be intertwined with a sketch outlining an idea for a sculpture, and at times, drawings emerge as impromptu phone scribbles. Over the past fifteen years, Michael E. Smith has accumulated a substantial collection of drawings, largely unpublished until now. To complement the exhibition dedicated to the artist, the Kunst Museum Winterthur is releasing an artist book featuring a comprehensive selection of drawings from this period. Afterword by Lynn Kost