Artificial Hells

Artificial Hells: Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship

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 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 development of a participatory aesthetic. This itinerary takes in Futurism and Dada; the Situationist International; Happenings in Eastern Europe, Argentina and Paris; the 1970s Community Arts Movement; and the Artists Placement Group. It concludes with a discussion of long-term educational projects by contemporary artists such as Thomas Hirschhorn, Tania Bruguera, Pawe? Althamer and Paul Chan.

New Edition
Paperback

Ikon aims to ship all orders to you as promptly as possible.

Standard UK shipping costs £4.50, is fully tracked and usually takes 4-6  working days. 

UK orders over £50 in value qualify for free shipping.

Standard International orders are tracked, price is calculated based upon location at checkout.

We offer a collect in store option at checkout.

If, for any reason you are not entirely satisfied with your order, Ikon will refund the value of the goods supplied. Click here for more information.