Provoking the Freeport Magic

Art Assemblage in Late Capitalism

Jessica Inez Backsell

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Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Sternberg Press
24 June 2025

Theory of art; Forgery, falsification & theft of artworks; Picture books

Series: Sternberg Press / Experiments in Art and Capitalism

How practices that enact the art of constructing open secrets in markets can be mobilized to unfold magic making.

How practices that enact the art of constructing open secrets in markets can be mobilized to unfold magic making.

What is magic? And what can it do? In this book, Jessica Backsell interrogates the magic of the art world and culture's stubborn habit of foregrounding art as representative of an alternative value system. Through the empirical example of the freeport-luxury warehouses where valuable art is stored for preservation and taxation purposes-Backsell explores the implications of understanding the art world through contingent entanglements and practices. Examining the contested site of the freeport, Backsell addresses the dichotomous ""culture v. capitalism"" debate by showing how magic is not an innate and mysterious quality. Rather, it is a practice, a central yet unexplored element of curatorial toolboxes, that unfolds through what Backsell denotes as the enactment of ""conspicuous withdrawal."" This insight, she argues, sheds new light and understanding on broader political issues in contemporary market society.

Copublished by Stockholm School of Economics

By: Jessica Inez Backsell
Imprint: Sternberg Press
Country of Publication: Germany
Dimensions: Height: 191mm, Width: 133mm,
Weight: 369g
ISBN: 9783956796227
ISBN 10: 3956796225
Series: Sternberg Press / Experiments in Art and Capitalism
Pages: 112
Publication Date: 24 June 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Jessica Inez Backsell conducts her PhD studies at Stockholm School of Economics where she also teaches matters of spatial and legal construction of markets. She explores the organization of markets from a practice perspective, drawing upon theories from both classical anthropology and postmodern philosophy. She also takes part in spurring dialogues between artists and intellectuals through her engagement in SSE Art Initiative.