The profile of Latin American abstract art in North America and Europe has dramatically increased over the past decade or so, thanks in large part to the activities of the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Collection. However, this is the first publication to specifically address the Concrete and Neoconcrete movements, spanning the 1930s through to the 1970s, and focusing on centers of activity throughout Latin America, in cities such as Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Caracas. In these decades, artists such as Lygia Clark, Helio Oiticica, Lygia Pape, Jesus Soto, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Judith Lauand, Geraldo de Barros, Hermelindo Fiaminghi, Luiz Sacilotto, Willys de Castro and Ferreira Gullar infused European Concrete art with fresh energy and warmth, extending it into the realms of performance and interactive sculpture (as seen in the works of Clark, Pape and Oiticica). The book organizes this rich range of work into five thematic sections: "Geometry," "Illusion," "Dialogue," "Vibration" and "Universalism." Accompanying an exhibition at the Reina Sofia, "Concrete Invention" also includes texts by several of the artists; an essay by sound artist and scholar Steve Roden; a questionnaire on the legacy of these movements answered by Luis Camnitzer, Jesus Carillo, Sofia Hernandez Chong Cuy and Ana Longoni; and a series of geometric-abstract gatefolds designed for the catalogue by Jose Leon Cerrillo.

The phenomenon of artists' platforms and artists' initiatives have been gaining in popularity and strength over recent years, in the Netherlands and beyond. Artists form groups and organize themselves in order to change something in the local, regional or national environment, or in order to create work together. "Shifting Map" asks to what extent these artists can play a role in a society in flux. "Shifting Map" contributes to the wide-ranging international debate about western and non-western art, social engagement, cultural identity and the dominant visual culture. The book does not simply focus on a purely theoretical discussion, but also provides anchoring points and pause for thought for artists, curators and policy makers. Besides texts and images by the artists' initiatives and artists' platforms themselves, the publication includes essays by philosopher Reinaldo Laddaga and art critic Charles Esche which examine the significance of artists' initiatives, the artistic debate and its significance in the worldwide field of art.
"Shifting Map" is a publication by the RAIN Artists' Initiatives Network, a network of artists' platforms and initiatives in Africa, Asia and Latin America that was set up by former residents at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam.