Touched Bodies: The Performance Turn in Latin American Art

Touched Bodies by Mara Polgovsky Ezcurra explores the role of pleasure and pain in the politics of art during Latin America's authoritarianism and transitions to democracy. It examines the rise of performance art in the context of feminism, HIV-activism, and human rights movements, highlighting the work of artists such as Diamela Eltit, Raúl Zurita, León Ferrari, Liliana Maresca, and Marcos Kurtycz. The book argues that this performative turn in Latin American art during the 1980s recast the artistic field and changed the ways in which we perceive art and understand its role in society.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 276 pages
Publication date: 30 June 2019
Publisher: Rutgers University Press

In her groundbreaking work Touched Bodies, Mara Polgovsky Ezcurra delves into the intricate relationship between pleasure and pain in the realm of art politics. Through a comprehensive examination of the flourishing of live and intermedial performance in Latin America during periods of authoritarianism, she explores the profound significance of these artistic expressions during transitions to democracy. Drawing upon original documents and innovative readings, Polgovsky Ezcurra's book brings politics and ethics to the forefront of the discussion of artistic developments during the "long 1980s." She offers a captivating account of the rise of performance art in the context of feminism, HIV-activism, and human rights movements, taking a close look at the work of artists such as Diamela Eltit and Raúl Zurita from Chile, León Ferrari and Liliana Maresca from Argentina, and Marcos Kurtycz, the No Grupo art collective, and Proceso Pentágono from Mexico. Through a comparative study of these artists' work, Polgovsky Ezcurra demonstrates the profound impact of a performative turn in Latin American art during the 1980s, akin to the transformative effects of photography and film in previous eras. This shift reshaped the artistic landscape, altering our perceptions of art and its role in society. Touched Bodies is a seminal contribution to the field, shedding light on the complex dynamics between pleasure, pain, and the politics of art in Latin America and beyond.

Weight: 416g
Dimension: 226 x 147 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781978802025