HITO STEYERL SELECTED TEXTS: FORMATIONS IN MOTION

Since the early 2000s, Hito Steyerl's writing has disrupted the tradition of the essay. Blending investigation, analysis, satire, and the absurd with great freedom of tone, she invites us to make sense of a global informational chaos where the value of any image, including works of art, is reduced to its speed of propagation. Translated from German and English, the 21 texts gathered here follow her trajectory from the critical exploration of the documentary film to the mockery denouncing digital neoliberalism. Their constellation echoes what Hito Steyerl refers to, in her essay "In Free Fall," as "a formation in motion."

Hito Steyerl's approach to writing is marked by a blend of diverse elements, including investigation, analysis, satire, and the absurd, which she uses with great freedom to challenge the traditional essay form. Through her work, she encourages the reader to grapple with the global informational chaos, where the value of images, including artworks, is primarily determined by their speed of dissemination.

The 21 texts collected in this volume trace Steyerl's trajectory, moving from the critical exploration of the documentary film to the mockery that denounces digital neoliberalism. Translated from German and English, these texts form a constellation that echoes Steyerl's own description of "a formation in motion," as articulated in her essay "In Free Fall."

Steyerl's unconventional and multifaceted approach to the essay has been shaping the genre since the early 2000s. By seamlessly integrating various modes of expression, she invites the reader to navigate the complexities of a world overwhelmed by information, where the value of visual representations is increasingly defined by their speed of dissemination rather than their inherent qualities.

The collected works presented in this volume offer a comprehensive overview of Steyerl's influential and thought-provoking writings. Traversing the boundaries between critical investigation, satirical commentary, and the exploration of the absurd, these texts collectively illuminate the artist's unique perspective on the evolving landscape of contemporary visual culture and its social, political, and economic implications.

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