NEW YORK, NY.- Phaidon Press and Phillips Auction House announced a joint video series featuring three preeminent artists working today: Marina Abramovic, Will Cotton, and Rachel Feinstein. This series celebrates the publication of Open Studio: Do-It-Yourself Art Projects by Contemporary Artists (Phaidon, October 28, 2020) by Sharon Coplan Hurowitz and Amanda Benchley.

Demystifying the studio practice through the fun, accessible format of D.I.Y., Open Studio takes readers behind-the-scenes to join these and other leading contemporary artists at work in their studios, presenting original art projects to recreate at home. Step-by-step instructions show readers how to make artworks with the contemporary masters as their personal guides.

These videos set out to augment this experience by bringing the artists directly to you. Each 15-10-minute episode takes viewers into the private creative realms of three select artists featured in Open Studio. Marina Abramovic walks us through how she prepares for her legendarily challenging performances with Counting The Rice, a fundamentally meditative experience; Will Cotton brings together an assortment of colorful confections to construct The Royal Crown of Candyland, an extension of his painting from life technique; and Rachel Feinstein recreates a foam-core model for Rococo Hut, a miniature version of the structure that was built for “Folly,” her 2014 exhibition in Madison Square Park.




Together, the video series and publication grant unmitigated access to these artists, their studios, and their creative practices like never before. We hope you enjoy.

Sharon Coplan Hurowitz is an independent curator, print publisher, and the author of John Baldessari: A Catalogue Raisonne of Prints and Multiples and a contributor to Letters to Ellsworth. She is the publisher of special editions by Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Christopher Wool and the co-publisher of The Metropolitan Museum of Art 150th Anniversary Portfolio. She previously was a specialist in contemporary prints at Sotheby's and Christie's. She is a D.I.Y. enthusiast.

Amanda Benchley is a freelance filmmaker and journalist and the co-author of Artists Living with Art. She has worked at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Sotheby's, and has written for the Wall Street Journal, Galerie Magazine, Huffington Post, and New York Observer. Her videos have appeared at the Smithsonian, The New York Historical Society and the Chicago History Museum.

Open Studio: Do-It-Yourself Art Projects by Contemporary Artists, to be published on October 28, 2020, invites readers into the private studios of seventeen of the most celebrated contemporary artists as they draw, paint, sculpt, or design an original project for readers to recreate at home. Demystifying the studio practice through the fun, accessible format of D.I.Y., Open Studio leads readers step-by-step through each artist’s project. Eight inserts specially designed by the artists for completing their projects — from stencils to cut-outs — are also included.

The full list of participating artists includes: Marina Abramovic, George Condo, Will Cotton, John Currin, Thomas Demand, Rachel Feinstein, The Haas Brothers, Alex Israel, Rashid Johnson, KAWS, Maya Lin, Julie Mehretu, Wangechi Mutu, Mickalene Thomas, Sarah Sze, William Wegman, and Lawrence Weiner.