Anthony Gardner Livres

From biennials and installations to participatory practices, contemporary art has come to embrace an aesthetic of democratization. Art's capacity for democracy building now defines its contemporary relevance, part of a broader, global glorification of democracy as, it seems, the only legitimate model of politics. Yet numerous artists reject the alignment of art and democracy -- in part because democracy has been associated not only with utopian political visions but also with neoliberal incursions and military interventions. It is just this paradox of democracy that Anthony Gardner explores in 'Politically Unbecoming', examining work from the 1980s to the 2000s by artists who have challenged democracy as the defining political, critical, and aesthetic frame for their work. In doing so, these artists also develop alternative artistic politics and practices that can remap the transformations in art and its politics since the end of the Cold War.0The artists whose work Gardner examines all spent their formative years in Eastern or Western Europe, developing "postsocialist" practices in the wake of socialism's eclipse by neoliberalism (and inspired by nonconformist art from socialist-era Europe). All of these artists -- who include Ilya Kabakov, the art collective NSK, and Thomas Hirschhorn -- depend on participation between audience and artwork; yet for them, participation does not exemplify democratization but rather offers critical engagement with certain tropes of democracy. These artists, Gardner argues, enact an aesthetic that is "politically unbecoming" in two senses: in its withdrawal from overdetermined political categories of contemporary art; and in its perceived indecency in defying the "propriety" of democracy

This innovative new history examines in-depth how the growing popularity of large-scale international survey exhibitions, or 'biennials', has influenced global contemporary art since the 1950s.

For sixty years, the United States has supported European integration on a bipartisan basis-not only because this has served European interests, but because it has promoted American interests as well.

Ideal travel guidebook for returning visitors to Japan searching for a deeper cultural experience. Away from the bustling cities of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, there is a hidden Japan--where quiet, bucolic ways of life, and proudly maintained local history and traditions can be found. Japan--100 Hidden Towns is a guide to this other, off-the-beaten-track, Japan. 100 towns from all of the country's 47 prefectures--including some places which may be unfamiliar even to natives of Japan--were carefully selected and reviewed by researchers from over 150 candidate areas, with a focus on nature, culture, food, access, and key dates to visit. Interesting tidbits of local history are also included in each review's "Did you know?" section, while a taste of subjectivity and a few anecdotes are provided in the "We say" segments. This book is supported by a website (www.100hiddentowns.jp) that includes detailed maps to the attractions, and updates to help readers while on their travels. As well as providing a wealth of travel information in one attractive, easily navigable volume, the book is ideal for casual reading--deepening your understanding of Japan as you pour over the pages.

Set in the very near future, Anthony Gardner's second novel is a gentle, engaging and topical satire on our surveillance society and on British subservience to the Oriental superpower