Probing Arts and Emergent Forms of Life

Michael M J Fischer author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Duke University Press

Published:26th May '23

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Probing Arts and Emergent Forms of Life cover

In Probing Arts and Emergent Forms of Life Michael M. J. Fischer calls for a new anthropology of the arts that attends to the materialities and technologies of the world as it exists today. Fischer examines the work of key Southeast and East Asian artists within the crucibles of unequal access, geopolitics, reverberating past traumas, and emergent socialities. He outlines the work of artist-theorists---including Entang Wiharso, Sally Smart, Charles Lim, Zai Kuning, and Kiran Kumar---who speculate about changing the world in ways that are attuned to its cultivation, repair, and rethinking in the Anthropocene. Their artistic vocabulary not only undoes Western art models and categories; it probes the unfolding future, addresses past trauma, and creates contested, vibrant, and flourishing spaces. Throughout Indonesia, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam---and from Kumar’s experimental dance to Kuning’s rattan and beeswax ghost ships to Lim’s videography of Singapore from the sea---Fischer argues that these artists’ theoretical discourses should be privileged over those of the curators, historians, critics, and other gatekeepers who protect and claim art worlds for themselves.

"[A] dynamic ethnography of prominent works by contemporary artists in Asia ... Probing Arts and Emergent Forms of Life goes far beyond introducing innovative artists and describing their artworks. It situates contemporary Asian art within ethnographic and geo-political contexts."

-- Robin Visser * Journal of Contemporary Asia *
"This book stands as a remarkable contribution to contemporary global art scholarship. Fischer adeptly navigates complex art-related issues, skillfully interweaving anthropological and other theories with his characteristic depth and elegance. The work’s multilayered approach renders it valuable for experts, scholars, and advanced students. . . . Fischer has once again produced a masterpiece, further cementing his reputation in the field. Readers will undoubtedly look forward to his future contributions with great anticipation." -- Pamela Karimi * American Ethnologi

ISBN: 9781478019770

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 567g

336 pages