Fluidity is about materials in motion - materials active and activated, mobile and mobilised. It relates to manifold entanglements and mixtures of actual materials rather than to a general flux of matter. Moreover, it involves rhetorical tropes, material imaginations, and theoretical challenges. Fluidity is an intricate phenomenon: often messy, viscous or turbulent, and sometimes disastrous. This volume contributes to a critical cultural rheology examining the material complexities, epistemic functions, political ramifications, and ecological dimensions of fluidity.
Fluid materials are unique, capable of spilling, leaking, mixing, and dissipating. They embody movement and transformation, reflecting a world in constant change. Their dynamic nature challenges the notion of matter as inert or passive, revealing the instability of meaning. This volume showcases studies that engage with materials in motion, examining aesthetic and epistemic potentials through various artistic formats such as film, painting, installation art, architecture, and photography. The essays emphasize actual liquids—like foam, water, ink, and chemicals—rather than mere imagery of fluidity. The contributors reflect on the characteristics of these fluids in both theory and practice, focusing on their transformative properties. Works discussed include those by notable figures such as Victor Hugo, Julius Popp, Christa Sommerer & Laurent Mignonneau, rAndom International, Frei Otto, Jürgen Reble, Matt Saunders, Jeff Wall, Sigmar Polke, Lucas Samaras, Wolfgang Tillmans, James Welling, David Medalla, Toshio Yoshida, Dieter Lutsch, Mark Porter, and Robert Rauschenberg. This exploration reveals how fluidity can inform artistic expression and understanding of materials.
Francis Bacon (1909-1992) wird als einer der bedeutendsten Maler des 20. Jahrhunderts angesehen. Trotz seiner weltweiten Anerkennung und hoher Marktpreise stagnieren die kunsthistorischen Analysen. Diese Untersuchung widerspricht der gängigen gewaltsamen Lesart und betont die Komplexität seiner ästhetischen Praxis, die den Dialog zwischen Bild, Körper und Materialität thematisiert.
