San Keller makes use of the Manor Art Prize 2009 and his exhibition at the CentrePasquArt in Biel to address the format of the first institutional solo exhibition as well as that of the monographic publication.
With the text work “Prologue” he guides us from page to page through the long list of group exhibitions the artist had to complete before he was invited to his first museum exhibition. The text contribution “Art Critics’ Paradise” by Philip Ursprung, a fictitious conversation between three art critics who happen to meet at “San Kellers Stammtisch” (San Keller’s regulars’ table) in the exhibition, deals with the art world and the role of criticism within the system with a great deal of wit and self-irony. In between, studio photographs appear in four groups. In “At Work – Cuckoo” San Keller has himself photographed by his artist friends in their studios and at their work.
The advertisements at the end of the publication are also part of a project. In “Show Show” San Keller visits institutional solo exhibitions that overlap with his own. In the exhibition, video recordings bear witness to these visits, while for the publication, the institutions were invited to place advertisements. These advertisements, arranged in a chronological order of visits, conclude the publication, which is considered an artist‘s book and thus not only provides an insight into the artist's current work, but also becomes part of the work itself.