Rob La Frenais is a curator and critic and a regular contributor to Art Monthly.
'But while Bean might challenge fixed ideas of the self and the artist in her performances, this books does not attempt a similar dismantling. Nor does it indicate the disregard for archiving and posterity that Johnson attributed to Bean. A large, square volume made more gallery and library shelves, it is co-published by the Live Art Development Agency as part of a series of surveys of individual artists; posterity is exactly what it aims for, and rightly so, given the lack of any other substantial study of Bean's huge body of work.' -- France Morgan, The Wire, 422, April 2019 'Anne Bean is a visionary artist who has troubled the boundaries of contemporary art for five decades. This book shows her to be a key and vibrant figure in live art.' -- William Raban, Professor of Film, University of the Arts, London 'The book represents a significant addition to the history of live art in the UK in general and to the work of Anne Bean in particular. [...] Self Etc. places Bean's oeuvre into the history of experimental art and performance in the UK in the 1970s and 80s [...] Beautifully illustrated with color photographs and visual essays made by Bean for this book, Self Etc. also provides a critical and conceptual framework for understanding her work.' -- Jennie Klein, Contemporary Theatre Review, November 2019