Summary
Claire Bishop's *Artificial Hells* argues that participatory art, widely lauded for its emancipatory social potential, often fails to deliver on its political ambitions and that a more critical approach is needed. The book provides the first historical and theoretical overview of socially engaged art, tracing its lineage through key moments in twentieth-century art. Bishop scrutinizes the claims made for this art form, proposing an alternative to the ethical rather than artistic criteria frequently applied to it. The book advocates for a less prescriptive relationship between art and politics, urging for more compelling and provocative forms of participatory art and criticism.
Bishop examines the trajectory of participatory art from Futurism and Dada, the Situationist International, and Happenings in various global locations, through the 1970s Community Arts Movement and the Artists Placement Group. The analysis extends to contemporary educational projects by artists like Thomas Hirschhorn and Tania Bruguera. By challenging the accepted notion that audience participation inherently leads to emancipatory social relations, Bishop encourages a re-evaluation of participatory art’s aesthetic and political value, moving beyond purely ethical considerations.
Key concepts
- Socially engaged participatory art — Art that encourages audience participation, often with the aim of promoting emancipatory social relations.
- Social practice — The term used in the US for socially engaged participatory art.
- Emancipatory social relations — New and liberated social connections believed to be promoted by participatory art.
- Ethical criteria (rather than artistic) — A standard for evaluating artworks based on their moral or social implications, as opposed to their aesthetic qualities.
- Participatory aesthetic — The development of an artistic style or approach that involves audience participation.
From the book
Description: This searing critique of participatory art—from its development to its political ambitions—is “an essential title for contemporary art history scholars and students as well as anyone who has . . . thought, ‘Now that’s art!’ or ‘That’s art?’” (Library Journal) Since the 1990s, critics and curators have broadly accepted the notion that participatory art is the ultimate political art: that by encouraging an audience to take part an artist can promote new emancipatory social relations. Around the world, the champions of this form of expression are numerous, ranging from art historians such as Grant Kester, curators such as Nicolas Bourriaud and Nato Thompson, to performance theorists such as Shannon Jackson. Artificial Hells is the first historical and theoretical overview of…
Snippet: Artificial Hells is the first historical and theoretical overview of socially engaged participatory art, known in the US as “social practice.” Claire Bishop follows the trajectory of twentieth-century art and examines key moments in the ...