Yorkshire Artspace is delighted to be included in a new publication, Humberto Velez: Aesthetics of Collaboration.  This publication has been produced to accompany a recent retrospective exhibition of Velez’s work from 2002 to 2011 at the Art Gallery of York University in Toronto, Canada.

The book explores Velez’s multi-faceted participatory performance practice which sees him working collaboratively with diverse groups of people from all around the world. We worked with Humberto in 2005 when he orchestrated the entertaining hip-hop football derby that took place at the Sharrow Festival, after which we selected him for a residency in 2007 for which he produced a film featuring Park Hill flats. He also introduced the artists at Persistence Works to a night of mojitos and salsa dancing - Yorkshire Artspace has never swayed its hips so unrhythmically since that night! It is amazing to see how Velez’s work has developed over recent years and how far reaching his practice. As Velez says in the book “This idea of prefabricated art that has no respect for people is what I'm fighting against and where I disagree with institutions that already have an idea of what they want me to make. This is against art itself. It's a very contemporary problem that we have to face: its about ethics and art."

Here is a link to the book for anyone who wishes to purchase a copy (we are on page 74)