Produced on the occasion ofstanley brouwn: Mens Loopt op Planeet Aarde/Man Walking Planet Earth, at the Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam, 14 October, 2017–21 January, 2018.

“Where other artists give free rein to paint or pencil, stanley brouwn (1935-2017) opted for ‘distance’ and ‘measurement’ as media. His work is about directions and distances and how to move within that context. His first museological exhibition in the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam was in 1970. The exhibition Man Walking Planet Earth, close on half a century later, is a tribute to the artist who evolved into one of the most prominent conceptual artists in the world. He died in May 2017.”—exhibition press release

This collection of essays by Martin Herbert considers various artists who have withdrawn from the art world or adopted an antagonistic position toward its mechanisms. A large part of the artist’s role in today’s professionalized art system is being present. Providing a counterargument to this concept of self-marketing, Herbert examines the nature of retreat, whether in protest, as a deliberate conceptual act, or out of necessity. By illuminating these motives, Tell Them I Said No offers a unique perspective on where and how the needs of the artist and the needs of the art world diverge. Essays on Lutz Bacher, Stanley Brouwn, Christopher D’Arcangelo, Trisha Donnelly, David Hammons, Agnes Martin, Cady Noland, Laurie Parsons, Charlotte Posenenske, and Albert York.