There is a common perception in the arts today that overtly activist artaeoften seen to sacrifice an aesthetic pleasure for a subversive oneaeis no longer in fashion. In bringing together sixteen of the most important essays on activist and community-based art from the pages of Afterimageaeone of the most influential journals in the media and visual arts fields for more than twenty-five yearsaeGrant H. Kester demonstrates that activist art, far from being antithetical to the true meaning of the aesthetic, can be its most legitimate expression.

Forging a style of criticism where...

There is a common perception in the arts today that overtly activist artaeoften seen to sacrifice an aesthetic pleasure for a subversive oneaeis no longer in fashion. In bringing together sixteen of the most important essays on activist and community-based art from the pages of Afterimageaeone of the most influential journals in the media and visual arts fields for more than twenty-five yearsaeGrant H. Kester demonstrates that activist art, far from being antithetical to the true meaning of the aesthetic, can be its most legitimate expression.

Forging a style of criticism where...

Collaborative and collective art practices have proliferated around the world over the past fifteen years. In The One and the Many, Grant H. Kester provides an overview of the broader continuum of collaborative art, ranging from the work of artists and groups widely celebrated in the mainstream art world, such as Thomas Hirschhorn, Superflex, Francis Alÿs, and Santiago Sierra, to the less-publicized projects of groups, such as Park Fiction in Hamburg, Networking and Initiatives for Culture and the Arts in Myanmar, Ala Plastica in Argentina, Huit Facettes in Senegal, and Dialogue...

In Collective Situations scholars, artists, and art collectives present a range of socially engaged art practices that emerged in Latin America during the Pink Tide period between 1995 and 2010. This volume's essays, interviews, and artist's statements--many of which are appearing in English for the first time--demonstrate the complex relationship between moments of political transformation and artistic production. Whether addressing human rights in Colombia, the politics of urban spaces in Brazil, the violent legacy of military dictatorships in the region, or art's intersection with...

In Collective Situations scholars, artists, and art collectives present a range of socially engaged art practices that emerged in Latin America during the Pink Tide period between 1995 and 2010. This volume's essays, interviews, and artist's statements--many of which are appearing in English for the first time--demonstrate the complex relationship between moments of political transformation and artistic production. Whether addressing human rights in Colombia, the politics of urban spaces in Brazil, the violent legacy of military dictatorships in the region, or art's intersection with...