Gegen den Stand der Dinge – Objekte in Museen und Ausstellungen

curating. ausstellungstheorie & praxis – Volume 1

The publication reflects a current shift in the way museums deal with material culture.

In recent years, things in museums and exhibitions have become the focus of renewed attention: from 'material culture studies' to sociology and contemporary art, they have been recognised as having decisive agency.

The contributions in this book follow 'thing histories’ and ‘object careers’, they explore new debates on neo-materialism and open up unexpected perspectives on collection objects. From the perspective of art theory, material and cultural studies, they explore new methods and approaches to production conditions, memory practices, materialities and objects in museums and exhibitions.


Martina Griesser, Vienna Museum of Science and Technology
Christine Haupt-Stummer,
section.a, art design. consulting gmbh
Renate Höllwart, trafo.K
Beatrice Jaschke, purpurkultur
Monika Sommer, purpurkultur
Nora Sternfeld, Aalto University, Helsinki
Luisa Ziaja, Belvedere/21er Haus, Vienna


The series curating. austtellungstheorie & praxis is edited by Martina Griesser-Stermscheg, Christine Haupt-Stummer, Renate Höllwart, Beatrice Jaschke, Monika Sommer, Nora Sternfeld, and Luisa Ziaja. All editors are members of the association schnittpunkt. austellungstheorie & praxis, an extra-institutional network for actors in the museum and exhibition field. Together they are directors and teachers of /ecm - educating/curating/making. Study Programme for Exhibition Theory & Practice at the University of Applied Arts Vienna.


All volumes of the series curating. ausstellungstheorie & praxis:

Volume 7:
Nicht einfach ausstellen – Kuratorische Formate und Strategien im Postnazismus (2025)
Volume 6:
Widersprüche – Kuratorisch handeln zwischen Theorie und Praxis (2023)
Volume 5:
Sich mit Sammlungen anlegen – Gemeinsame Dinge und alternative Archive (2020)
Volume 4:
Gegenöffentlichkeit organisieren – Kritisches Management im Kuratieren (2019)
Volume 3:
Das radikaldemokratische Museum (2018)
Volume 2:
Kuratieren als antirassistische Praxis (2017) / Curating as Anti-Racist Practice (2018)
Volume 1:
Gegen den Stand der Dinge – Objekte in Museen und Ausstellungen (2016)
ISBN: 978-3-11-045935-7
e-ISBN: 978-3-11-047973-7
Editor/s: Martina Griesser, Christine Haupt-Stummer, Renate Höllwart, Beatrice Jaschke, Monika Sommer, Nora Sternfeld & Luisa Ziaja
Publisher: De Gruyter, 2016
Graphic design: Renate Höllwart
Language: German
Price: EUR 34.95