The Performing Observer

'Drawing from his encyclopedic grasp of the visual arts and popular culture, Martin Patrick conjures up previously unexplored associations between art, rock music and film in these cogent essays on contemporary art. Whether characterizing visionary photographer William Eggleston as “unequal parts of William Faulkner, Jerry Lee Lewis and Hunter S. Thompson” or handily comparing conceptualist Chris Burden’s extreme performances to those of Iggy Pop, Patrick’s critical examinations of artworks and artwords are jargon-free, brimming with witty musings, elastic but never overstretched.' -- Barry Blinderman, writer, educator, lecturer and musician 'Martin Patrick is the humane professor I want to stare down the end of twentieth century art days with. With him, I’m ready to face Anne Noble’s “Ice Blink” and the environmental and political corrosion now everywhere on the horizon. In The Performing Observer, Patrick captures art’s odd adjacencies and taxonomies, from Iggy Pop stage diving and writhing to a retrospective of senior Aotearoa painter, Robyn Kahukiwa. Amongst it all, a self-portrait of Patrick emerges: a kindly ophiophilist standing in a snake pit, without the antidote. Incisive and alive.' -- Megan Dunn, author of Tinderbox and Things I Learned at Art School 'Retaining an approachable writing style that will appeal to an arts orientated reader whilst offering scholarly and critical depth is a hallmark of The Performing Observer. Engaging with a unique selection of artists, Patrick discusses performance, photography and material forms, speaking indirectly on how to develop and maintain a writing practice in the contemporary arts.' -- David Cross, Deakin University, Australia