In celebration of Art21’s newest book, Artists & the Unknown: Art21 Interviews with Artists, Art21 and Ursula Magazine invite you to a special event celebrating contemporary art and the written word. Celebrated artist, filmmaker, and writer Miranda July will join Jurrell Lewis, Art21's associate curator, for a conversation about how artists use randomness, mystery, and unknowability to try to answer some of life’s biggest questions.

Pick up Issue 12 of Ursula, which explores the inventive ways artists blur the boundaries between life and art. The cover features a work by Rashid Johnson, who reflects on family, identity and belonging in a conversation with his father and son. David Hammons, whose practice transforms the everyday into profound art, is the focus of three articles, including an oral history and an essay by Linda Goode Bryant. Also inside: new fiction by Lynne Tillman, Ambera Wellman’s bulletin board, and reflections on London’s Cosmic House by Charlotte Jansen. 

About the book
Art21's second compendium of artist interviews explores how we use the randomness, complexity, and unknowability of life to push the boundaries of art and culture.

The unknown is definitionally indefinable. It is something we encounter in ways big and small every day of our lives. It appears when we wake up and wonder what the day holds, as we watch the world around us change, develop and decay, and in our risks, dreams and curiosities. The unknown can appear unexpectedly, at any time, and with myriad forms and faces. What do we do with that information? At Art21, we look to artists.

Drawn from over two decades of interviews with the leading artists of the 21st century, Artists & the Unknown: Art21 Interviews with Artists captures engaging, inspiring and stimulating conversations that explore encounters with the unknown. Featuring the works and words of 18 groundbreaking contemporary artists, this collection serves as a guide and a companion in your own encounters with unknowability.

About Art21
Art21 is the world’s leading source to learn directly from the artists of our time. The mission of Art21 is to educate and expand access to contemporary art through the production of documentary films, resources, and public programs. The organization recently embarked on capacity-building efforts to grow its operations and services to bring more artists to more audiences worldwide. Art21 opens the world of art to everyone. Learn more at Art21.org.

About ‘Ursula’ 
Ursula is a quarterly magazine published by Hauser & Wirth, that celebrates the artistic achievement and creativity of the gallery's artists and those beyond. Through the printed magazine, digital content platform and live programs, Ursula champions artistic practices that challenge and interrogate the future, highlighting a diverse range of contemporary culture that Hauser & Wirth finds compelling. Featuring stories from the worlds of art, design, film, books, food, and sustainability, Ursula invites readers to think critically, ask questions, and engage with the ideas shaping our world. Written in a sophisticated yet accessible style, Ursula appeals to a broad, inquisitive readership, from dedicated insiders to curious observers. ‘It has always been our mission to make the gallery a home for our artists where other thinkers, writers, and visionaries can also gather and engage,’ gallery President Iwan Wirth told Artnet News. ‘Now Ursula will be an editorial home as well, a truly global magazine that reflects our philosophy.’