Using the theme of Currency to invite reflection on the contemporary power of the photograph to relay and relate meaning across distance, the Triennial of Photography Hamburg explores the value of photography in the 21st century. The extension of this economic term to art and visual culture allows for a sustained engagement with photography and its relationship to value-making, canon-making, access, circulation, and knowledge production. At a time when the production, distribution, and consumption of photographic images has become ubiquitous and we have learned to structure our contemporary world through a lens, the digital image has become the currency of exchange on social platforms. Fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, the Critical Reader Lucid Knowledge: The Currency of the Photographic Image gathers international perspectives that reflect on how photography shapes today's narratives, as well as our perception and experience of the world.

"Active Withdrawals" is an anthology of essays addressing the institutionalisation of artistic practices and the act of withdrawals seeking out of places of contemplation and retreat that are often adopted in Eastern art. The book critiques the growing desire for museums and galleries to become recognised as places of artistic institutions and exposes concerns surrounding the institutionalisation of artist s work, covering artistic practices across Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, China and South East Asia. Drawing from a seminar that took place in July 2013, the book challenges the institutional structure that has become prominent within the art world and often drives and defines its output. Including writings from some of the worlds most prominent curators, including Biljana Ciric, Maria Lind and Lina Dzuverovic, a large focus of this anthology explores issues beyond a Western context and avoids a geographical grouping to the writers concerns. Instead, the publication is structured in such a way that the voice of each writer resonates throughout, combining to create a thoughtful and significant commentary on a largely neglected topic."