Reardon, John Oliver Edward. 2005. The uncontrollable discourse or why contemporary art has nothing in particular to do with democracy. Doctoral thesis, Goldsmiths, University of London [Thesis]

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Abstract or Description

From the outset, it is important to point out that this thesis does not simply consist of a stand-alone text and practice. This is an artist’s thesis inextricably linked to practice and is written from the position of an artist practitioner. Hence it must be read in relation to, and within the context of, the evolution a body of work and the personally directed nature of this project which perhaps results in a text that at times seems quite strident and without the ‘neutral’ argument usually required of a thesis with scholarly pretensions. My written thesis consists of an introduction, conclusion and three main chapters entitled Participation, Deliberation and Effectivity. My research context is the realm of politics and art, in particular, the realm of politics and contemporary art that developed in the 1990s when the theory of democracy took a strong deliberative turn vis-à-vis the work of art/architectural team Bòhm/Lang/Saffer, contemporary artists Thomas Hirschhorn, Rikrit Tirvanija, amongst others. To properly reflect on this work and its democratic credentials, I contextualise this in relation to the work of Richard Serra and in particular his work Tilted Arc. The work of Chantal Mouffe provides the main theoretical context for my critique. I claim that one of the implications of Mouffe’s concept of ‘adversary’ for contemporary art is a rationalisation of art. One of the ways in which this becomes evident when deployed within the realm of contemporary art is in terms of a kind of 'participatory logic’ - a ‘being in communication with’ or ‘participating in’ so to speak. In other words what might be described as an art practice that seeks to ‘involve’ or ‘implicate’ the viewer in the artwork. While the expression of this ‘participatory logic’ will vary from the overtly benevolent to the abrasively confrontational given the particular artwork, I nonetheless claim that this work sets itself apart from other artwork in not being ‘disinterested’ or, put another way, in seeking certain ‘outcomes’ with the work. In addition to examining the work of the aforementioned artists, and in order to provide a curatorial context to my research, I also examine a number of relevant exhibitions and cultural publications such as the exhibition / promise it’s political and the publication Parachute. Democratic theory, I claim, currently resides at the very core of contemporary art and is not necessarily good for art.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Identification Number (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.25602/GOLD.00033730
Keywords:	politics and contemporary art, theory of democracy, concept of ‘adversary’, Richard Serra, participatory logic, Parachute
Date:	2005
Item ID:	33730
Date Deposited:	05 Jul 2023 13:18
Last Modified:	05 Jul 2023 18:00
URI:	https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/33730

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