Beyond the Sovereign Self: Aesthetic Autonomy from the Avant-Garde to Socially Engaged Art

Socially engaged art provides an alternative aesthetic with greater possibilities for critical practice, encouraging the creative capacity required for collective political transformation. It catalyzes forms of resistance that operate beyond the institutional art world, with a historical genealogy of recent engaged art practices rooted in nineteenth-century political struggles and continuing into contemporary anticolonial resistance and other social movements.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 296 pages
Publication date: 12 December 2023
Publisher: Duke University Press

In his book "Beyond the Sovereign Self," Grant H. Kester expands upon the critique of aesthetic autonomy initiated in "The Sovereign Self." He demonstrates how socially engaged art presents an alternative aesthetic with heightened potential for critical practice. Instead of isolating art from its social context, Kester argues that socially engaged art, cultivated in conjunction with forms of social or political resistance, fosters the creative capacity necessary for collective political transformation.

Kester delves into the analysis of various artists, including conceptual artist Adrian Piper, experimental practices associated with the escrache tradition in Argentina, and indigenous Canadian artists such as Nadia Myre and Michèle Taïna Audette. Through these examinations, he showcases how socially engaged art catalyzes resistance that extends beyond the confines of the institutional art world.

Spanning from the Americas and Europe to Iran and South Africa, Kester presents a historical genealogy of recent engaged art practices, rooted in a rich history of cultural production. This genealogy begins with nineteenth-century political struggles and continues into contemporary anticolonial resistance and other social movements.

By exploring the intersection of art, society, and politics, "Beyond the Sovereign Self" offers a thought-provoking exploration of the transformative power of art in shaping social and political landscapes. Kester's insightful analysis and comprehensive presentation make this book a valuable contribution to the field of art studies and beyond.

Weight: 438g
Dimension: 152 x 229 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478025344