The Artist's Body

Rating:
Summary: great thematic survey
Review: This is like a catalog for an exhibition that could never be mounted (at least not with the actual works). It is a collection of documents of various performance artists whose works deal with the human body as both the subject and object of their art. The book divides the works into various categories and creates some very interesting and surprising comparisons. By grouping such 'painterly' aritists as Gunter Brus, Paul McCarthy and Karen Finley, the authors present new avenues of interpretation for each. The captions function in much the same way as wall labels for a gallery show would and encourage the reader to think about the complex meanings of works that are not often discussed beyond their sensational surface. The introductory essay is good but it is the captions, photographs and the artist statements at the end where the real action takes place. The book also includes works by sculptors and photographers whose works are performative in nature. I was happy to see that Brazilian artist Lygia Clark is included. Her imaginative and playful objects are often overlooked because their gentle qualities are usually overshadowed by the more sexually explicit works of other artists.