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Coverbild Michael Diers
A table of contents page from a book, written in German. The main heading on the left is INHALT. The right column lists chapter titles in all caps, such as DIE VITRINE and DER BALKON, followed by details about artists, artworks, and corresponding page numbers. The list ends with sections for notes, image credits, and thanks.
A page from a book with a two-column layout. The left column features the title in German, KUNST POLITISCH MACHEN, and a subtitle, Ein Vorwort. The right column begins with a quote in English from Adrian Piper, followed by the main body of text in German. The page number 7 is at the bottom right.
A two-page spread from a book with German text and black-and-white images. The left page shows a sculpture consisting of a dark wooden pedestal with a tall, clear glass vitrine on top. The right page shows a dark, carved wooden statuette of a stylized standing figure.
A two-page spread from a German art publication. The left page shows text and a black-and-white photo of a museum installation with numerous glass display cases. The right page features text and a grid of four black-and-white photos by Lothar Baumgarten: a display case labeled studied, a face labeled celebrated, an object in a case labeled imagined, and a row of skulls labeled politicized.
A page from a German book showing two black-and-white photos of Mark Wallinger's art installation, State Britain. The main image shows a vast collection of protest signs and banners arranged in a barricade-like structure inside a grand, neoclassical art gallery. A smaller image below shows a close-up detail of the placards.
A two-page spread from a book in German, pages 68 and 69. The left page has text and a collage of news headlines like CONFLAGRATION and BRIDGE MYSTERY. The right page features a large black-and-white photograph of the Brooklyn Bridge above more text.
A two-page spread from a book in German, featuring two black-and-white photographs of a political art installation. On the left, a high-angle photo shows a crowd of people in front of a large outdoor structure. On the right, a photo shows a close-up of a sign on the structure that reads FLÜCHTLINGE FRESSEN above a large cage.
A two-page spread from a German book, pages 140 and 141, discussing border walls. The page on the right features a black-and-white photo of Donald Trump viewing a tall, slatted border fence. The page on the left has an aerial screenshot from a news report showing several prototypes of the border wall.
A two-page spread from a German-language art book, pages 188 and 189. The left page has text and a black-and-white photo of a gallery with large collages on the walls. The right page features a large black-and-white collage by Thomas Hirschhorn, depicting a grim, ruined scene with figures, where parts of the image are deliberately obscured by heavy pixelation.
A page of text in German, numbered 193, with a large heading on the left that reads: DAS BANNER, Der Streit um das Tuchbild People's Justice von Taring Padi auf der documenta fifteen. The main body of text on the right discusses the controversy surrounding the artwork and allegations of antisemitism.
The blue cover of Gegen den Strich by Michael Diers, with a white stick-figure drawing depicting artists at easels and a protestor holding a sign.
The cover of the book Gegen den Strich by Michael Diers on a blue background with a white line drawing of stick figures, some around easels and one holding up a blank rectangular sign.
Michael Diers
Gegen den Strich. Die Kunst und ihre politischen Formen
€ 24.00
VAT included. Shipping costs will be calculated at checkout
Graphic Design: Neil Holt
Author: Michael Diers
Texts by: Michael Diers
German
April 2023, 248 Pages, 82 Photos
Paperback with Flaps
142mm x 212mm
ISBN: 978-3-7757-5439-2

HATJE CANTZ VERLAG
Mommsenstr. 27
10629 Berlin
Germany
E-Mail: contact@hatjecantz.de


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| Making art politically
Gegen den Strich. Die Kunst und ihre politischen Formen deals with groundbreaking artistic projects that have taken up current social issues in recent years and have triggered heated controversies. The aim of these exemplary investigations is to explore the remaining freedom and qualities of contemporary political art, which is increasingly shaped by identity politics, cancel culture and censorship. Works by Lothar Baumgarten, Christoph Büchel, Sam Durant, Gelitin, David Hammons, Thomas Hirschhorn, Taring Padi, Wermke/Leinkauf, Mark Wallinger and the Center for Political Beauty are discussed in eleven chapters. They represent the broad spectrum of an art that intervenes critically and is not satisfied with self-referentiality or decoration. A study of contemporary political iconography that is as thorough as it is incisive.

MICHAEL DIERS is one of the most distinguished German art historians and university teachers. As an author and editor, he has published extensively on the history and theory of art and the image, as well as on political iconography. He is co-editor of the Collected Writings of Aby Warburg.
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