PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Anne Ring Petersen is associate professor in the Department of Arts and Cultural Studies at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Her research focuses on contemporary art often in a cross-cultural perspective. Recent publications include the anthology Contemporary Painting in Context.
Published in oversize format, this book is packed with information. Petersen offers a global view of the installation art form, popularized during the 1960s and 1970s and still going strong. The book's eleven chapters, introduction, and epilogue offer an in-depth exploration of time, space, and representation. Installation art is often constructed using mixed materials, including glass, video, wood, canvas, and found objects. The author starts with a definition of this often misunderstood genre, including that it involves not only the work itself but the space it occupies and the audience's interaction with it. Installation's close relationship to performance and theater is also examined. Artists such as Eliasson, Graham, Kaprow, Koch, Viola, and Nauman serve as examples of the variety of approaches to the topic. Petersen supports her discussion with extensive notes and a bibliography. . . . The book fills a gap in the literature on this important art form, giving it a much-needed, thorough critical review. . . . Recommended. -- Choice
