In advance of documenta X, MAK cooperated with Catherine David in conducting two public discussion evenings with artists, theorists and curators: "Kunst im Abseits?". The Vienna discussion with Peter Kogler, Elke Krystufek, Peter Pakesch, Gerwald Rockenschaub, Franz West and Robert Fleck (moderator) became an actionistic document of artistic self-presentation far beyond the boundaries of discourse on art theory or - as some critics maintained - an affirmation of the "beyond-the-fringe" character of the Vienna scene suggested in the title. "Art in the Center", an event organized by the MAK Center for Art and Architecture, L.A., at the Schindler-Haus, featuring Jean- Francois Chevrier, Mike Davis, Mike Kelley, Peter Noever and Jeff Wall, was concerned more literally with the subject of the "center" as a socio-cultural manifestation and with the centrifugal and centripetal forces that come together in urban centers like Los Angeles. This books presents authentic transcriptions of these two discussions.