Exotic: A Fetish for the Foreign

Exotic explores our fascination with distant lands and their promise of the weird and wonderful, enriching Western culture with cultural dynamism and artistic energy.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 15 March 2019
Publisher: Phaidon Press Ltd

Exotic: A Survey of the Enduring Human Love Affair with the Exotic and the Strange

Exotic delves into the captivating human fascination with the allure of distant lands and their promise of the extraordinary and bizarre. Through a series of evocative images, this book showcases how the absorption of "the foreign" through various cultural elements, such as arts, design, architecture, and more, has consistently enriched Western society, contributing to its cultural dynamism and artistic vitality.

In particular, Exotic's focus becomes particularly pertinent in the contemporary globalized world, where our interactions with cultures and traditions from across the globe are both easier and more complex. It sheds light on the ways in which our engagement with these diverse elements can shape our understanding of the world and influence our artistic expressions.

Through its exploration of the human fascination with the exotic and the strange, Exotic offers a thought-provoking examination of the ways in which cultural exchange and hybridization have shaped our world. It serves as a reminder of the power of cultural diversity to enrich our lives and inspire creativity, while also raising important questions about the ethical implications of our interactions with other cultures.

Weight: 1146g
Dimension: 181 x 251 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780714876375