About the Book
Contemporary Art and Anthropology takes a new and exciting approach to representational practices within contemporary art and anthropology. Traditionally the anthropology of art has tended to focus on the interpretation of tribal artifacts, but has not considered the impact such art could have on its own ways of making and presenting work. The potential for the contemporary art scene to suggest innovative representational practices has been similarly ignored. This book challenges the reluctance that exists within anthropology to pursue alternative strategies of research, creation and exhibition, and argues that contemporary artists and anthropologists have much to learn from each others practices. The contributors to this pioneering book consider the work of artists such as Susan Hiller, Francesco Clemente and Rimer Cardillo, and in exploring topics such as the possibility of shared representational values, aesthetics and modernity, and tattooing, they suggest productive new directions for practices in both fields.
Table of Contents:
Introduction: The Challenge of Practice (Arnd Schneider and Christopher Wright)1. Appropriations (Arnd Schneider)2. Moon and Mother: Francesco Clemente's Orient (Christopher Pinney, University College London)3. Where Green Grass Comes to Meet Blue Sky: a trajectory of Josef Sima (Michael Richardson, Waseda University, Tokyo)4. Encounters with the Work of Susan Hiller (Denise Robinson, independent scholar, London) 5. Reflections on Art and Agency: knot-sculpture between mathematics and art (Susanne Kuchler, University of London)6. Artists in the Field: On the Threshold between Art and Anthropology (George E. Marcus, Rice University and Fernando Calzadilla, New York University) 7. Photographic Essay (Dave Lewis, photographer, London)8. Dialogues with Dave Lewis, Rainer Wittenborn, Claus Biegert, Nikolaus Lang, and Rimer Cardillo (Arnd Schneider and Christopher Wright. Rainer Wittenborn, artist and Professor, Technical University of Munich. Claus Biegert, author and radio journalist, Munich. Nikolaus Lang, artist and Professor, The Academy of the Arts, Munich. Rimer Cardillo, artist and Professor of Printmaking at the State University of New York, New Paltz)9. Travels in a New World: work around a diasporic theme by Mohini Chandra (Elizabeth Edwards,University of the Arts, London College of Communication)10. The Ancient American Roots of Abstraction (Cesar Paternosto, Painter, Sculptor and Author, Segovia, Spain)11. Carlos Capelan: our modernity not theirs (Jonathan Friedman, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris, and University of Lund, Sweden) 12. The Case of Tattooing (Nicholas Thomas, Goldsmiths College)
About the Author :
Arnd Schneider is Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oslow. Christopher Wright is Lecturer in Anthropology at Goldsmiths College, University of London.
Review :
'There is an anthropology of art and art-making, just as there is an anthropology that is art, butting at the crabby distinctions separating art from science. This book raises the wonderful specter of having the two combine forces to the benefit of both art and anthropology. A treat!' Michael Taussig, Professor of Anthropology, Columbia University, New York 'Crossing borders between academic disciplines--being eclectic in methodologies of research and representation--we more nearly approach the complex singularity of the human. This volume amply demonstrates the cross-disciplinary potential; refusing the confinements of categorical identities, Schneider, Wright and colleagues make manifest the creativity behind 'social science' and 'art' alike.' Nigel Rapport, Centre for Cosmopolitan Studies, Concordia University of Montreal 'Drawing on some of the most interesting of contemporary anthropologists, this book extends the critiques of 'writing culture' and the new anthropologies of art by suggesting collaborative possibilities that, it is to be hoped, provide a new horizon for the next generation of practitioners. It was a pleasure to read the unexpected forays in themselves and in the context of this well-crafted project.' Fred Myers, Professor and Chair of Anthropology, New York University 'Contemporary Art and Anthropology provides a major pioneering step towards bridging the two areas of practice achieved through seeking areas of overlap. This approach not only provides a useful framework for artists and anthropologists alike, but also opens up a dialogue between the two disciplines and sets the stage for future experimental work.' Terence Wright, Reader in Theoretical Studies in Visual Art, University of Ulster 'Contemporary Art and Anthropology takes a new and exciting approach to representational practices within contemporary art and anthropology.' visualanthropology.net 'This is the value of Contemporary Art and Anthropology: it suggests possibilities and encourages experimental juxtapositions while actively calling for an expanding dialogue. It is a stimulating text that will be of interest to artists, museum and gallery professionals, and the general reader.' Journal of Museum Ethnography, Vol. 19 (2007) 'Contemporary Art and Anthropology is a consistently exciting and varied book. Its pictures and text open up new and unsual vistas.' Zeitschrift fuer Ethnologie 132 (2007)
