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.

A comprehensive grammar and manual for contemporary curatorship was established in the first six issues of Manifesta Journal, MJ #1–6, by Viktor Misiano and Igor Zabel. This continued in the series of six issues that were realized between 2009–2011 by Viktor Misiano, Nathalie Zonnenberg (Senior Editor) and Filipa Ramos (Associate Editor). The editorial work of the Manifesta Journal for the upcoming six issues, MJ #13–18, has been taken over by Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez (Chief Editor) and Virginie Bobin (Associate Editor). 

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. The current resident MJ blogger is Clark House from Bombay, India. You can view the blog here. Previous blogs were contributed by Natasa Ginwala, Hu Fang, Matteo Luccheti, Toleen Touq and Adnan Yildiz.

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 was realized with the collaboration of Rasha Salti and MJ#17 (forthcoming) will be guest edited by Bisi Silva. 

MJ#17 Index

Creolizing Europe

None of the Above: From Hybridity to Hyphenation. The Artist as Model Subject, and the Biennial Model as Apparatus of Subjectivity

In the Fabric of the Voice: A Polyphonic Conversation

A conversation around Afro Brazil

Bewitched Migrants

“I charge you to leave this body”

Raimi Gbadamosi Talks with John Akomfrah

Comprehensive Methodology in Ancestral Earth-Star Complexes: Lessons from Vela-Zimbabwe

Speaking Truth to Power: Censorship and Critical Creativity in South Africa

New Culture, A Review of Contemporary African Arts (b.1978—d.1979)

CULTURAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA

cartazes para o museu do homem do nordeste by Jonathas de Andrade

Of Umbrella Terms and Definitions: Diversity Within a Framework?

Sailing the Ship of Fools: A Carnival Trilogy

Precarious Tasks 7

Contributors

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