Militant Aesthetics: Art Activism in the 21st Century

— —

Dr Martin Lang (University of Lincoln, UK) Jane Tormey (Loughborough University UK)

Militant Aesthetics

Art Activism in the 21st Century

Dr Martin Lang (University of Lincoln, UK), Jane Tormey (Loughborough University UK), Gillian Whiteley (Loughborough University UK)

$59.99

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Bloomsbury Academic
21 August 2025

Theory of art; Philosophy: aesthetics; Social & political philosophy; Political activism

Series: Radical Aesthetics-Radical Art

In 2008 an Iraqi artist was waterboarded

as performance art. In 2010 artists upturned police cars in Russia. But what exactly do we mean by militant art and aesthetics? Bringing together the philosophy of art

and politics, Martin Lang provides a comprehensive examination of militant

art activism: its history, its advocates and the aesthetic theory behind

it.

Protest art is not a new

concept and yet this book argues that after the terrorist attacks of 9/11

distinctly 21st-century forms of art activism emerged. On the one

hand these became militant as artists retained belief in the possibility of

radical political change through art. On the other hand, this belief

developed in a hostile environment, when anti-terror legislations

reclassified activists and artists as terrorists.

Through first-hand interviews

and experiences, Militant Aesthetics sheds

light on numerous international case studies of modern art activism and the

different ways they can be classified as militant. Many artists and

collectives, including Grupo Etcétera in Buenos Aries, are prepared to break

the law and risk arrest for their art. Others like Thomas Bresolin’s Militant Training Camp utilise military uniforms in

violent performances that connect with public anger, and artists such as Zthoven

in the Czech Republic occupy, hack, antagonise and disrupt in increasingly

militant ways.

Combining these examples with

the pioneering thought of Badiou, Žižek, Rancière and Mouffe, as well as

up-to-date scholarship from Bishop, Léger and others, Lang investigates the

instances, attributes and rules of militant art in order to introduce a new overall theory of 21st-century militant aesthetics.

By: Dr Martin Lang (University of Lincoln UK)
Edited by: Jane Tormey (Loughborough University UK), Gillian Whiteley (Loughborough University UK)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 214mm, Width: 134mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 340g
ISBN: 9781350346789
ISBN 10: 1350346780
Series: Radical Aesthetics-Radical Art
Pages: 264
Publication Date: 21 August 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Acknowledgements Preface Introduction 1. Art Activism after 9/11 2. Refuse/Resist: Militancy, Ethics and Aesthetics 3. Militancy and the Avant-garde 4. Tactical Confrontations: Art Activism after the Global Banking Crisis 5. The Absurd and the Dysfunctional 6. Demonstration Bibliography Index

Martin Lang is Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader in Fine Art at the University of Lincoln, UK. His work has been published in journals including Ekphrasis and Art & the Public Sphere.

Reviews for Militant Aesthetics: Art Activism in the 21st Century

Lang's incisive study provides a significant remapping of activist and political art. By developing a precise terminology, the author draws an illuminating panorama of aesthetic theories and practices. * Karen van den Berg, Professor and Chair of Art Theory & Curating, Zeppelin University, Germany *