Kaddish Book

Kaddish accompanies Christian Boltanski's largest exhibition in Paris to date, which is being held at the Musee d'Art Moderne from May to October 1998. But Kaddish is no catalogue in the conventional sense. It is better described as the high point in a long series of art books which are of outstanding importance to Boltanski's oeuvre. In contrast with the ephemeral presence of exhibitions, the book form offers a unique opportunity to bring images together in a lasting cumulation. Availability created in this way sets the stage for individual analysis. Interpretation occurs solely within the spectator, even when the content is inherent. "Each object conceals a story", according to the artist, "and each object has its own face".