The anthology Politics of Memory aims to investigate the document as such, as an objective trace left by events, as material proof or the creation of reality – the strategies with which they transform a state of memory into State memory, those by means of which a historical removal is enacted, those, ultimately, in which there is an attempt to challenge permanent or temporary amnesia, opening up to the future. The artists and filmmakers contributing to this publication represent the most advanced area on an international scale of a research that inaugurates a new relationship between artistic practices and the documentary.

This publication brings together a cycle of conferences held between 2009 and 2013 at NABA – Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti Milano by international artists and film-makers. It is the result of a multi-year research project promoted by the Visual Arts Department and, more specifically, the MA in Visual Arts and Curatorial Studies. This program is aimed at encouraging the comparison of international artistic experiences that have investigated forms of documentary making and archiving, beginning with the subject of memory seen as a critical exercise and practice of resistance.