Robert Owen A Book of Encounters is the first major monograph on one of Australia's most eminent artists. Made in close collaboration with Owen (b. 1937) and his studio, this extensive volume assumes at once poetic, critical, historical and biographical modes in its unpacking of six decades of the artist's archives, offering a comprehensive insight into a figure who has stood at the forefront of contemporary art since the 1960s.

The book not only examines Owen's nomadic practice spanning sculpture, painting, photography and installation but traces through-lines from his early life in the regional Australian town of Wagga Wagga to Sydney, the Greek island of Hydra, London and Melbourne. In doing so, A Book of Encounters expands into Owen's wider interests in philosophy, psychology, science, mathematics, music and literature.

The book features essays and texts from some of Australia's leading writers, curators and artists, including Carolyn Barnes, Sue Cramer, Victoria Lynn, Pippa Milne, Robert Nelson, Alex Selenitsch, Mike Parr,Leslie and Miriam Stein, and Angela Connor. It is designed by Stuart Geddes, Paul Mylecharane and Kim Mumm Hansen of Public Office.

Robert Owen A Book of Encounters is published to coincide with the survey exhibition Blue Over Time: Robert Owen A Survey at Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne, from March 6 to May 23, 2021, curated by Sue Cramer.

400 pages, 23.7 x 16.9 cm, leather softcover with OTA bind, Perimeter Editions (Melbourne).