Electric Earth: Doug Aitken, Philippe Vergne

To celebrate the publication of his new catalog, Electric Earth, Doug Aitken discusses his work with Philippe Vergne, Director of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, where the artist's first full-scale survey exhibition opened in September 2016.

From photography to architecture, and from video to spoken word, Doug Aitken has delved into a variety of art forms to create a provocative body of work. The new volume Doug Aitken: Electric Earth surveys the full scope and depth of Aitken’s work, which embraces a collaborative spirit across disciplines and beyond walls, to re-imagine the nature of what a work of art can be. The book’s essays examine the plethora of ideas the artist tackles—from environmental decay to the end of linear time—and explain how and why Aitken challenges many artistic barriers.


Doug Aitken is an American artist and filmmaker. His work explores every medium, from sculpture, film and installations to architectural interventions. He has collaborated with numerous artists and musicians and his work has been exhibited in museums around the world. In September 2016, a major survey of Aitken’s work will open at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles.

Philippe Vergne was appointed Director of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) in March 2014. Prior to his appointment at MOCA, Vergne served for five years as director of the Dia Art Foundation, New York, where he built an international reputation as a successful and committed museum leader with a deep knowledge of contemporary art, a respected curatorial vision, and close relationships with artists and the international contemporary art community. Before leading the Dia Art Foundation, Vergne served as deputy director and chief curator at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis; as director of the Francois Pinault Foundation in Paris; and as director of the Musée d’art Contemporain (MAC) in Marseille, France. Vergne has organized monographic, group, and thematic exhibitions at major institutions around the world. These include acclaimed retrospectives for artists Doug Aitken, Carl André, Yves Klein, Huang Yong Ping, and Kara Walker, among others. In 2006, Vergne co-curated the Whitney Biennial with Chrissie Iles.Vergne was awarded the Légion d’Honneur in 2015, in recognition of his 24 years of service to the arts. Vergne was also named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 2004.

Initiated and organized by Arezoo Moseni in 2004, Artist Dialogues Series provide an open forum for understanding and appreciation of contemporary art. Artists are paired with critics, curators, gallerists, writers or other artists to converse about art and the potential of exploring new ideas.

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