Synopses & Reviews
Kristine Stiles has played a vital role in establishing trauma studies within the humanities. A formidable force in the art world, Stiles examines the significance of traumatic experiences both in the individual lives and works of artists and in contemporary international cultures since World War II. In
Concerning Consequences, she considers some of the most notorious art of the second half of the twentieth century by artists who use their bodies to address destruction and violence.
The essays in this book focus primarily on performance art and photography. From war and environmental pollution to racism and sexual assault, Stiles analyzes the consequences of trauma as seen in the works of artists like Marina Abramovic, Pope.L, and Chris Burden. Assembling rich intellectual explorations on everything from Paleolithic paintings to the Bible’s patriarchal legacies to documentary images of nuclear explosions, Concerning Consequences explores how art can provide a distinctive means of understanding trauma and promote individual and collective healing.
Review
and#8220;Capture[s] the vitality and global tenor of the contemporary art world. . . . Indispensable for artists and art historians alike. . . . Essential.and#8221;
Synopsis
"Contrary to the popular myth of the 'inarticulate' artist, the literature of contemporary art is rich and varied and, until now, widely scattered.
Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art is the most comprehensive selection of such writings available. An essential resource for scholars, it also offers the lay reader generous doses of vivid and provocative writing." --Robert Storr, Yale University
"The accomplishment of this book is astounding. It will change the way scholars think about the totality of the world of contemporary art, and it will be the essential text for generations of students to come." --Richard Shiff, University of Texas, Austin
Synopsis
First published in 1996, this irreplaceable resource has now been updated, revised, and expanded by Kristine Stiles to represent thirty countries and more than one hundred new artists. Stiles has added forty images and a diverse roster of artists, including many who have emerged since the 1980s, such as Julie Mehretu, Carrie Mae Weems, Damien Hirst, Shirin Neshat, Cai Guo-Qian, Olafur Eliasson, Matthew Barney, and Takashi Murakami. The writings, which as before take the form of artists' statements, interviews, and essays, make vivid each artist's aesthetic approach and capture the flavor and intent of his or her work. The internationalism evident in this revised edition reflects the growing interest in the vitality of contemporary art throughout the world from the U.S. and Europe to the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Australia.
About the Author
Kristine Stiles is France Family Professor of Art, Art History, and Visual Studies at Duke University. She is the author of the forthcoming books
Concerning Consequences of Trauma in Art and Society and
Correspondence Course, An Epistolary History of Carolee Schneemann and Her Circle.
Peter Selz is Professor Emeritus of Art History at the University of California, Berkeley. His many books include
Art of Engagement: Visual Politics in California and Beyond (UC Press).