It is only right and proper that it should have been Maurice Blanchot, one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, who pointed out ‘any work of art involves risk; it is the affir-mation of an extreme form of experience’ (L’Espace Littéraire, 1955).
For me, these intensely pertinent words rekindle wonderful memories. In the late 1990s I was accepted as a friend by a giant of the art world: a man who despised mediocrity and was forever seeking, a poet of the great beyond, who would often engage me in late-night discussions lasting until the break of day. Art was his passion and his raison d’être. Pierre Restany – for he it is of whom I talk – taught that only the most radical novelty deserves to be experienced; and that only artists who dare to venture into the unknown are worth bothering about.

This precious advice set me on the path to a host of discoveries and coups de cœur – and to some disappointments, too; as it also helped me realize that, in some respects, contemporary art has worn itself out… with many artists content to quote, steal and borrow from what has gone before. The pertinence of some other works is, in contrast, all the more striking.

The Annual team naturally shares this attitude. It stimulates us and incites us to continue our adventure year after year – seeking and identifying those outstanding artists capable of shattering the confines of comfortable routine, just as Pierre Restany did by championing the Nouveaux Réalistes. This year an artistic duo of genius have shown how the field of art continues to expand. They are extraordinarily ambitious – because what they fashion, sculpt and attempt to tame is Time itself. For over a decade Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey have been producing amazing works of art which, in their own way, prolong the philosophy of such different artists as Marcel Duchamp or Jean Tinguely. With Greubel Forsey this philosophy is based on an in-depth knowledge of exceptional techniques, and it lends their creations something unique. For them, form and function are one and the same; at the same time, they open up a new aesthetic field.

Many other artists are also presented in this issue, including Mounir Fatmi, John Isaacs, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Richard Deacon and Adam Mc Ewen. I cannot cite them all here, but I must end by mentioning one of the most illustrious among them, and a man particularly dear to my heart: Pavlos, in whose enlightening company I sometimes recall those magical nights spent in conversation with Pierre Restany. Pavlos smiles in agreement. He was one of Pierre’s staunchest friends.