Hans-Ulrich Obrist Quotes

I hope to make the process of producing my take of the Biennial a transparent and interesting one for artists.

For me, the making of exhibitions has always had to do with dialogue: a concentrated, in-depth, focused dialogue with artists, who keep teaching me that exhibitions should always invent new rules for the game.

At a certain time, an artist needs a big retrospective. At other times, they need a more focused exhibition. It's a different story each time; it's about establishing a dialogue.

As an artist, I've always wanted to participate in the dialogue of art with other artists.

It's fun to see how other artists adapt my work.

The critic has to educate the public; the artist has to educate the critic.

I follow the work of my contemporaries. I love their work.

I think, you know, for me, whatever I need to slot into to make that music the best it can be or help the artists, or whoever I'm working with, achieve whatever vision they have in their head for a song.

It always makes me sad when I think of how I saw Wagner wasting his vitality, not only by singing their parts to some of his artists, but acting out the smallest details, and of how few they were who were responsive to his wishes.

The procedure was that an artist got a mural and then he would have anywhere from two to ten assistants depending on the size of the mural and how many assistants he needed, or she needed.

Many artists have not been able to realise their fondest projects. My role is to help them.

It's Frank's painting on the cover. We were originally going to use a Salvador Dali painting that we got permission from Salvador Dali to use, and Frank found this one, and it really did fit the music much more.

Any part I do is a marriage of the words - what the playwright or producer or show runner's vision is - to how I would play it. It took me a while to get rid of 'Oh, they want it this way, so I'm going to do it how they want it.'

As an artist, I understand that, and I value the creative input of the artist.

From my standpoint, being an artist, I want to see what the new construction is between artist and audience.

There is more to representing art than selling art. The life of the gallery is dependent on the renewal and refreshment of its artists and dealers. When that stops happening, it's the end.

Since 2000, I've been based in Paris at the Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville, curating the programme there. Internationally, it's a very open situation that goes beyond national boundaries; directors and curators move from one country to another, which has opened up the museum landscape.

I'm not an art director; I'm just not. I've always been somebody who has a sensibility that I hope is the same sensibility of others.

I always thought that one of the reasons why a painter likes especially to have other painters look at his or her work is the shared experience of having pushed paint around.

Art should never try to be popular. The public should try to make itself artistic.

Any authentic work of art must start an argument between the artist and his audience.

I think there's a tendency with actor/directors to imagine themselves playing every part and trying to get people to follow their rhythm, their tempo, their pace. I've learned now to just love being at the center of this creative swirl.

The art world doesn't exist in a vacuum.

I started as a visual artist and I've always dealt with music in that same sort of way.

I think when I work with artists, I'm at their service, and I'm at the service of either their vision or a vision that we find together and we share.