Accompanies the exhibition at the National Gallery, London, 13 September 2023–7 January 2024.
 
Céline Condorelli’s practice addresses the boundaries between public and private, art and function, labour and leisure, in order to reimagine what culture can be and the role of artists within it. As the National Gallery’s 2023 Artist in Residence, she was invited to respond to its collection and that of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery, Exeter.
 
Condorelli interrogates the role of museums as ‘machines for looking’ which guide audiences in how they perceive and value art. Using sculpture, architecture and installation, her art makes interventions in the ways people navigate space and highlights the act of exhibiting itself. This book presents a new body of work which focuses on the act of seeing, as well as pages created by Condorelli that document her research into the materials, spaces and history of the National Gallery. These are complemented by an essay by curator Priyesh Mistry and an interview with the artist by Lara Goodband.