Obsession, Compulsion, Collection: On Objects, Display Culture, and Interpretation

Art museums and public galleries amass collections in order to preserve, document, research and exhibit collective histories as a culture. Edited by Anthony Kiendl, Obsession, Compulsion, Collection is a compilation of essays by leading Canadian and International curators and artists who explore collecting as a cultural act. Examining the meaning of art objects in a broader context, the book seeks to uncover the human impulse to collect and the social context, rhetoric, politics and science associated with cultural collections.

The fourth in a series of books by the Banff Centre Press and the Walter Phillips Gallery about curating and contemporary art, Obsession, Compulsion, Collection is an important touchstone for artists and curators alike. Other books in the series include Beyond the Box: Diverging Curatorial Practices (edited by Melanie Townsend), Naming a Practice: Curatorial Strategies for the Future (edited by Peter White), and The Edge of Everything: Reflections on Curatorial Practice (edited by Catherine Thomas).