Synopses & Reviews
Spanning 1989 to 2009, this anthology collects the influential writings of American artist, musician and critic John Miller (born 1954), which have been lauded by Bruce Hainley in Artforum as a pungent intervention into the ideologies of beauty, representation and looking. Ranging from reviews and cultural essays to theory and artist's statements, Miller's writings distinguish themselves from other styles of art criticism insofar as they relate to his larger artistic concerns with the social context of the art object and its sociopolitical ramifications as a commodity (as the title of this volume implies); they are also deeply informed by Miller's vast knowledge of art history and popular culture. More recently, Miller has entered into close dialogue with Dan Graham, Bob Nickas and Nicolas Guagnini. Many of the essays collected here--such as his contributions to the German magazine Texte zur Kunst--appear in English for the first time.
Review
"Since the late 1980s, John Miller has developed a type of and#8216;mannequin artand#8217; that is shrewd, intelligent, disarming, and subversive and#8211; and which comprises one of the most important advances in conceptually-driven sculpture in the past 25 years. Strategically theatrical, his store-bought surrogates effectively unhinge the display rhetoric of public and private gallery spaces even as they haunt us with their deadpan and unsettling absurdity."
Synopsis
More Alive Than Those Who Made Them brings together for the first time an influential series of sculptures made with mannequins by American artist and writer John Miller, sometimes made in collaboration with Austrian artist Richard Hoeck. Featuring photographs of all mannequin works by Miller or Miller and Hoeck, the book also includes an interview between Miller and long time friend, renowned curator and critic Bob Nickas.
Synopsis
This book brings together for the first time an influential series of sculptures made with department store mannequins that American artist and writer John Miller created, often in collaboration with Austrian artist Richard Hoeck. The book is built around beautifully reproduced full-page photographs of all the mannequin works, which were widely praised when first exhibited and have proved enduringly influential since. Rounding out the book is a revealing interview with Miller by curator and critic Bob Nickas, a longtime friend of Miller. The result is a book that will appeal to any fans of contemporary art.
About the Author
John Miller is an artist who has exhibited his work widely in North America, Europe, and Japan.Richard Hoeck is an Austrian artist.Bob Nickas is an independent critic and curator based in New York.