Paula Serafini, "Performance Action: The Politics of Art Activism" (Routledge, 2018)

Summary

How can art change the world? In Performance Action: The Politics of Art Activism (Routledge, 2018), Paula Serafini, a Research Associate at the University of Leicester's CAMEo Research Institute for Cultural and Media Economies, explores art activism, looking at the power, potential, and problematics of art for political and social change. The book draws on a wealth of ethnographic material, including the author's own art activism, to show the complexity as well as the importance of art activism. Moreover, the book offers a major theoretical contribution, fusing work on the public sphere, theories of aesthetics and politics, social movements theory, and theories of emotions and the body, with case studies including the high profile Art Not Oil coalition. The book will be essential reading for anyone interested in art, politics, and the potential to challenge and change our institutions and our politics.

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Dave O'Brien

Dave O'Brien is Professor of Cultural and Creative Industries, at the University of Manchester.

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