This catalog was initially conceived to accompany the exhibition "Thomas Schütte: Obras Políticas/Political Works", on display at the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art from July 22 to September 25, 2005.

Since then, the scope of the publication has been expanded to include other works by the artist shaped by an explicit connection and orientation towards the public sphere.

The publication brings together works by Thomas Schütte that, covering more than thirty years and under various and alternating stylistic orientations, convey the artist's reaction to political events, some of which were published here for the first time. The comments on the works by James Lingwood, Ulrich Loock and Hans Rudolf Reust are joined by a conversation with the artist, conducted by Loock, which clarifies the artist's vision of his own political and public work.