Claire Bishop’s *Artificial Hells* offers a critical historical and theoretical overview of socially engaged participatory art, known as “social practice,” arguing against the widespread acceptance that this art form inherently promotes emancipatory social relations. Bishop scrutinizes the political and aesthetic claims made for participatory art, tracing its development through key twentieth-century moments like Futurism, Dada, the Situationist International, Happenings, and the 1970s Community Arts Movement, culminating in a discussion of contemporary artists.
The book challenges the notion that audience participation automatically equates to political effectiveness, proposing an alternative framework for evaluating these artworks based on artistic rather than solely ethical criteria. Bishop advocates for a less prescriptive approach to art and politics, encouraging more compelling, troubling, and bolder forms of participatory art and criticism. Readers gain an understanding of the historical trajectory and theoretical underpinnings of socially engaged art, along with a critical lens for assessing its ambitions and outcomes.
Key concepts
- Socially engaged participatory art — Art that encourages audience participation and is often promoted as politically emancipatory.
- Social practice — The US term for socially engaged participatory art.
- Emancipatory social relations — The idea that participatory art can foster new and liberating social connections.
- Participatory aesthetic — The development of artistic forms that prioritize audience involvement.