On 4 October 2013 at 19:00 hrs, If I Can't Dance and Tate Modern present the publication 18 pictures and 18 stories as the conclusion of our research project with Isidoro Valcárcel Medina and Bulegoa z/b. The book presentation is to be introduced by If I Can't Dance and Bulegoa z/b, and will be accompanied by a lecture by Isidoro Valcárcel Medina. Following the lecture an after talk will take place between the artist, Esther Ferrer and Dora García, led by Catherine Wood.

The publication 18 pictures and 18 stories collects 22 stories that have been told by guest speakers at art institutions all through 2012, as part of the curatorial research project of Bulegoa z/b in the frame of Performance in Residence. The stories are each inspired by a single photo from a series of 18 pictures made by Valcárcel Medina in 2011, titled Performance in Resistance, that depict 18 actions he performed in different cities between 1965 and 1993. The artist made this work in response to our inquiry into his early performance practice.

18 pictures and 18 stories is designed by Filiep Tacq and includes a facsimile of the photo series Performance in Resistance by Isidoro Valcárcel Medina and text contributions by Pierre Bal-Blanc, Koen Brams, José Díaz Cuyás, Juan Domínguez, Nuria Enguita, Jon Mikel Euba, Esther Ferrer, Aimar Pérez-Galí, Dora García, Esteban Pujals Gesalí, Moosje Goosen, Isaías Griñolo, Myriam Van Imschoot, Miren Jaio, Emilio Moreno, Research team from MAC-USP, Manuel Martínez Ribas, Pedro G. Romero, Jaime Vallaure, Azucena Vieites, and Carla Zaccagnini.

In 2012 18 pictures and 18 stories traveled to If I Can't Dance at Het Veem Theater, Amsterdam; Bulegoa z/b, Bilbao; Fundació Antoni Tàpies, Barcelona; CAC Brétigny, Greater Paris; BNV Producciones, Sevilla; Playground Festival in STUK/Museum M, Leuven; MAC São Paulo, São Paulo; before its last presentation at Tate Modern, London.

18 pictures and 18 stories
Concept: Bulegoa z/b and Isidoro Valcárcel Medina
Commissioner: If I Can’t Dance

Performance in Resistance
Isidoro Valcárcel Medina
Photography: Rocío Areán Gutiérrez

Biographies
Isidoro Valcárcel Medina (Murcia, 1937) is an important representative of conceptual art in Spain, hardly known outside of Spanish speaking countries. His body of work includes performances, sound pieces, architectural projects, installations and books. From his early practice up to the present day, he has asserted a critical attitude towards both art institutions and the art market, developing instead situations and scenarios that allow him to engage in a more directly affective relation with his audience.

Bulegoa z/b is a collaborative initiative based in Bilbao, Spain. Its members, Beatriz Cavia, Miren Jaio, Isabel de Naveràn and Leire Vergara come from backgrounds in both visual arts and social theory. Their initiative, an ‘office for art and knowledge’ is created around a common interest in processes of historization, cultural translation, performativity, the body, postcolonialism, social theory, archival strategies and education. Their varied professional backgrounds allow for a myriad of methodologies within their many projects. Bulegoa z/b has conceptualized the curatorial format for 18 pictures and 18 stories.

Partners
This publication is conceptualized and produced by If I Can't Dance, I Don't Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution in collaboration with Bulegoa z/b. It is co-produced by CAC Brétigny, Greater Paris; If I Can't Dance, I Don't Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution, Amsterdam; the Museum of Contemporary Art of the University of São Paulo (MAC USP); and Tate Modern, London.

18 pictures and 18 stories is co-produced by BNV Producciones, Seville; CAC Brétigny, Greater Paris; If I Can't Dance, I Don't Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution, Amsterdam; the Museum of Contemporary Art of the University of São Paulo (MAC USP); Playground Festival in STUK/Museum M, Leuven; Tàpies Foundation, Barcelona; Tate Modern, London; and Het Veem Theater, Amsterdam.

The publication and the performances are realized with the support of Corpus: a network for performance practice (CAC Brétigny, Greater Paris; If I Can't Dance, I Don't Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution, Amsterdam; Playground Festival in STUK arts centre/Museum M, Leuven; Tate Modern, London) financed by the European Union.