Body Art/Performing the Subject

Body Art/Performing the Subject examines performance and body art from the 1960s-1990s through a postmodern theoretical lens. The book focuses on artists including Carolee Schneemann, Annie Sprinkle, Yayoi Kusama, Hannah Wilke, and Vito Acconci. Jones analyzes photographic and video documentation of performances, considering how these recordings function as extensions of the original works. She draws connections between the emergence of body art and broader cultural shifts of the late 20th century, particularly regarding identity and subjectivity. The text incorporates feminist theory, phenomenology, and psychoanalytic concepts to explore how body art challenges traditional ideas about artistic practice and spectatorship. Through case studies and theoretical frameworks, Jones examines the relationship between performers, audiences, and documentation. This study presents body art as a critical intervention in contemporary art history and theory, questioning established narratives about modernism and postmodernism. The book reveals connections between artistic practices and evolving concepts of identity, embodiment, and human experience.

Readers appreciate Jones' detailed analysis of performance art and her focus on embodiment theory. Multiple reviewers note her thorough examination of artists like Carolee Schneemann and Hannah Wilke. Academic readers find value in her feminist perspective and phenomenological approach. Criticism focuses on dense academic language that some find unnecessarily complex. Several reviewers mention struggling with the theoretical frameworks and philosophical references. A few note the text can be repetitive. From online sources: Goodreads: 4.2/5 (19 ratings) Amazon: 3.8/5 (4 ratings) Sample reader comments: "Important theoretical work but requires multiple readings to grasp fully" - Goodreads "The writing style made accessible concepts needlessly difficult" - Amazon "Strong analysis of body art but gets bogged down in academic jargon" - LibraryThing "Insightful on gender and performance but could be more concise" - Google Books review

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🎨 In "Body Art/Performing the Subject," Amelia Jones was one of the first scholars to thoroughly analyze how performance art of the 1960s and '70s challenged traditional ideas of artistic authorship and authenticity. 🎭 The book revolutionized art criticism by introducing the concept of "body/self," which explores how artists use their bodies as both subject and medium to question identity and social norms. 📚 Published in 1998 by the University of Minnesota Press, this text became a cornerstone work in performance art studies and is frequently cited in discussions of feminist art theory. 🖼️ Jones specifically examines works by artists like Carolee Schneemann, Yayoi Kusama, and Vito Acconci, demonstrating how their radical performances questioned conventional boundaries between artist and artwork. 💡 The author draws heavily on phenomenology and post-structuralist theory, particularly the works of Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Jacques Derrida, to develop her groundbreaking analysis of body-based artistic practices.