| |
Review
Bataille’s theory of the abject took the world of theory and visual arts by storm in the early 1990’s. Julia Kristeva brought this concept to the attention of the United States via psychoanalytic theory and in the Summer of 1993 the Whitney Museum of Art curated the exhibit “Abject Art: Repulsion and Desire in American Art.” (Perhaps, not surprisingly the exhibition won the scorn of the Christian Action League and other conservative groups.) What is Bataille’s theory of the “abject” anyway? As this collection of essays, interviews, and stories reveals, it depends on who you ask. Formulated during the 1930’s with fascism looming large in Europe, Bataille’s theory of the abject is concerned with the repulsion and sacralization of that which is rejected and despised in society, culture, and the body. This collection brings together a variety of theorists, artists, and writers on themes related to or inspired by Bataille’s work. The book includes diverse and often contradictory explorations of the meaning of the abject. Contributors include: Julia Kristeva, Bob Flanagan, Jerermy Gilbert-Rolfe, Mike Kelley, Chris Kraus, Jean Baudrillard, Eileen Myles, Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze, and others.
|
|
