Politics as Public Art

In a time of continual anxiety over climate change, political unrest, and an ongoing global health crisis, this well-considered collection reminds us of the power of political action through public art and the importance of socially engaged practice to challenge societal differences and discords. Through historical perspectives, case studies, and engaging critical analysis, this anthology serves as both a site of reflection and an inspiration of future activist art actions. Professor Cameron Cartiere, Emily Carr University, Canada Martin Zebracki and Zane McNeill's Politics as Public Art makes a valuable contribution to the emerging literature on socially engaged art. It is notable for establishing a productive linkage between the concept of a 'choreopolitics', developed by Andre Lepecki, and the aesthetics of engaged art practice and social movements more broadly. Equally importantly, the contributors outline a series of key dialogical interfaces, between the disciplines of art history, performance studies, and social movement studies, which will do much to enrich ongoing debates in the field. Crucially, the essays foreground the essential role played by the performative and the somatic in engaged art practices which seek to understand the body as both a 'signifying agent' and a matrix of social and political resistance.Professor Grant Kester, University of California, San Diego, US This is a terrific set of analyses probing the aesthetics and politics of contemporary protests. Drawing on voices from diverse locations and perspectives, including artists, curators, and scholars, this anthology lends new weight to the argument that confronting injustice requires people to choreograph multiple creative practices of synergetic collaboration. Distinguished Professor Susan Leigh Foster, University of California, Los Angeles, US