Shape of Evidence

This book examines the use of the document in contemporary art, focusing on artworks in which the seemingly straightforward document is valued not only as a source of information but also as a distinctive visual and critical form. The author, Amsterdam-based art historian Sophie Berrebi, contends that for artists using filmed, photographic or written sources, the document can offer a way to develop a critical position on issues of representation, knowledge production, art and art history. Touching on several key issues in contemporary art-the trustworthiness of documents, the role of the museum and the archive-the author builds her argument through a close reading of select works of art by Christopher Williams, Fiona Tan, Zoe Leonard, Sven Augustÿnen, Wendelien van Oldenborgh and Jean-Luc Moulène, illustrated throughout the text.