Preface

In attempting to make sense of the socio-economic goals and the artistic-cultural means that are unquestionably part of art production and circulation – distant and irreconcilable though their positions seem to be – this preface introduces how the volume "Double Trouble in Exhibiting the Contemporary: Art Shows and Fairs" aims to open up a range of opportunities for further enquiries. Investigating the differences and similarities between exhibitions with and without commercial scope means not only examining the production and distribution of artworks but also questioning the concepts of legitimization and value-making, the production of art, the role of the artist, the function of the media, the definition of diverse exhibition formats, as well as the differing interaction with visitors and the future of art criticism. In such discourses, the remediation of value and attention brought about by the media and digital platforms seems to be even more crucial now that the pandemic threat has made such locations the only possible nodes of visibility in the entire art network.