This is undoubtedly a moment marked by a serious interest in the actions America is taking on the world stage-actions that have been described as a cause for ‘grave concern.’ We do not attempt to authoritatively engage these concerns here nor do we wish to insinuate that elevated interest in America’s cultural affairs is somehow unique to our present historical moment. We do, however, think that this sampling of discourse by and about a country’s visual artists leads to insights about its politics and society not gained elsewhere. … At the very least, it gives a sense of what it is like to live in the United States today, and results in some inspired debate. We hope that this book serves not only as a valuable compendium of recent writing about contemporary art, but also as inspiration to seek further understanding of these ‘Uncertain States.’ So Noah Horowitz and Brian Sholis note in the introduction to this unique compilation of writing around art and cultural politics in America since 2000. Published in collaboration with the Serpentine Gallery, London, and the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo, as an addendum to the traveling exhibition Uncertain States of America, curated by Daniel Birnbaum, Gunnar Kvaran, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, the USA Reader was designed by Dexter Sinister. It is a thought-provoking collection that will become an important sourcebook on American culture at the start of the new millennium.
Contributors Giorgio Agamben, Dora Apel, Jack Bankowsky, David Barringer, Bernadette Corporation, John Bowe et al., Johanna Burton, Paul Chan, Critical Art Ensemble, Trisha Donnelly, Andrea Fraser, Isabelle Graw, Tim Griffin, Matthew Jesse Jackson, Chris Kraus, Miwon Kwon, Robert Morris, Molly Nesbit, Seth Price, Kymberly N. Pinder, Retort, Ralph Rugoff, Gregory Sholette, Julian Stallabrass, Kirk Varnedoe, Hamza Walker, and Matt Wolf