In this new volume celebrated artist and curator Michael Petry, addresses media and marketplace concerns about the state of language and the value of books in the digital age.
As words find new modes of transmission in contemporary society, text becomes information, and information strives to become free, Petry asks, what value can text hold in the sphere of visual art? Looking at the work of a broad range of artists including Bruce Nauman, Julien Breton, Jeremy Deller, Takashi Murakami, Tracey Emin, Christian Boltanski, and more, The Word is Art explores this and related questions and demonstrates how words remain critical, powerful, and central to art practice.
Presenting major areas where the word has dominated artistic practice, this book takes us on a fascinating and richly illustrated global tour of diverse contemporary art forms.
Reviews
A unique, in-depth, and well-rounded study… Petry takes the readers on an armchair tour of diverse art forms around the world with these guiding questions: How does the use of text contribute to contemporary art practice? How does art making with words shape and inform our understanding of ourselves and the world around us? … The application of various font sizes to the text for different sections and the well thought-out choice and placement of visually arresting images make for an engaging and captivating read. It is sure to be a treasured reference on the subject of the word as art
— ARLIS/NA Reviews
Contributors
Michael Petry
Author
Michael Petry is an artist, author, and director of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), London. He is the author of The Art of Not Making, Nature Morte, and The Word Is Art.