The Counterpublic Triennial’s New Kind of Public Space
“We think of our work as an invitation to do more, to take action, and to operate differently,” co-founder James McAnally told Hyperallergic.
The third edition of the Counterpublic Triennial, Coyote Time, has expanded significantly across five main sites and opens tomorrow, Thursday, September 10, in St. Louis. But as artistic director and co-founder James McAnally explains, this expansion moves beyond mere scale, aiming to support artistic practices rooted in real change. The triennial frames itself as an invitation to experience public space differently, guided by core concepts such as accountability, access, climate, infrastructure, agency, and Native sovereignty.
Unlike traditional biennials, Counterpublic relies on a curatorial "ensemble" rather than a team, balancing individual authorship with a collective voice to present multiple perspectives. Selected from 80 peer-recommended candidates, the ensemble members curated sections organized around specific themes across St. Louis. Stefanie Hessler and Wanda Nanibush focus on the ecology of the Mississippi River and the city's disconnect from its three major North American watersheds. Jordan Carter examines scores, staging, and rehearsals of the future in The Ville, a neighborhood in St. Louis, including an operational high school, and other institutional spaces; Raphael Fonseca leverages his teaching background to design collaborative projects with students and work at a refugee resettlement center; and Nora N. Khan explores speculative infrastructures and technology at Sauget, the former Monsanto town, and elsewhere throughout the city.
Presented on a three-year cycle and on view for three months, Counterpublic echoes the late artist Vito Acconci’s idea that in order for something to be "public," it must connect at least three people. When I asked artistic director James McAnally which artists’ practices have influenced his approach, he cited Richard Serra, whose first permanent public work, “Twain,” (1982), is installed in downtown St. Louis, adding that he also takes inspiration from the intimacy engendered by artists like Chloe Bass, whom he is married to, and Felix Gonzalez-Torres.
Sara Reisman: I’d like to start with The Luminary, which you founded in 2007, and how Counterpublic grew out of it, first as an exhibition in 2015 and later as a triennial launched in 2019. Both platforms connect art, thought, and action to drive social change. What was your motivation for founding The Luminary, and how did you approach establishing it as a space for these ideas?
James McAnally: Both The Luminary and Counterpublic are rooted in linking art with social change. Inspired by the alternative space movement, The Luminary created a context for artists beyond mainstream institutional viewpoints. When we founded the organization, I was a musician, and co-founder Brea Youngblood was an artist and photographer, and others brought varied perspectives. The common thread was the understanding that there was a lack of space for artists to gather, think, and build together. Over time, that commitment sparked projects like Contemporary Art Review and March.
Our core ambition was to move beyond institutional critique. Critique alone isn't enough; if we can’t imagine and build the institutions we want, critique becomes another instance of speaking to power without changing it. Writing as a critic for outlets like Hyperallergic, I reflected on how biennials and triennials repeatedly draw the same criticisms regarding their processes, audience, and resource distribution. Counterpublic grew out of asking whether we could build the alternatives we imagined.
