عنوان

The political space in social art practices

Number

TLets692824

Title Proper

The political space in social art practices

General Material Designation

[Thesis]

First Statement of Responsibility

Krenn, Martin

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

Ulster University

Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.

2016

Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree

Ph.D.

Body granting the degree

Ulster University

Text preceding or following the note

2016

Text of Note

This research contributes to knowledge by conceptualising a post-foundational theoretical base toassess the significance of social art practices and their political dimension, whilst allowing, at thesame time, for such a foundation to remain permanently contingent.Thereby, I discus the key terms: society, the social and the political in relation to art. In so doing Iidentify the two main criteria for social art practices namely non-identitarian solidarity andminimal politics which, I argue, constitute and define the possibility for the political in social artpractice. The (post-foundational) criteria for minimal politics are organisation, strategy,collectivism and the aim of becoming a majority (Marchart 20 I 0: 318).In order to distinguish the political potential of social art practices from any form of totalitarianpolitical art they have to be democratic and have to be at least based on principles such asfreedom and equality. I then claim that social art practices also have the potential to becomeradically democratic, as soon as they base their practice on the principle of difference and roottheir practice in non-identitarian solidarity.Prerequisites for social art practices developed in this thesis contend that art becomes a socialpractice as soon as it intervenes aesthetically into social conditions by oscillating between thepoles of aI1istic dialogue and aesthetic autonomy.The artistic component of this PhD project is the website project The Political Sphere in ArtPractices, which is based on interviews that I conducted with experts in the field of social practiceart. The interviewees are Grant Kester, Margit Czenki, Christoph Schafer, Roger Behrens, NealaSchleuning, Mary Jane Jacob, Gregory Sholette and Nora Sternfeld. The project provides aninteractive dialogical platform constructed as a modular system of questions, answers andcategories.

Krenn, Martin

Ulster University

Electronic name

p

[Thesis]

276903

a

Y