Relational Aesthetics (Paperback)

by Nicolas Bourriaud (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Where does our current obsession for interactivity stem from? After the consumer society and the communication era, does art still contribute to the emergence of a rational society? Bourriaud attempts to renew our approach toward contemporary art by getting as close as possible to the artists works, and by revealing the principles that structure their thoughts: an aesthetic of the inter-human, of the encounter; of proximity, of resisting social formatting.

Product Details

• Paperback: 125 pages
• Publisher: Les Presse Du Reel,Franc (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 2840660601
• ISBN-13: 978-2840660606
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #50,748 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #25 in	Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Aesthetics
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Topic with Poor Translation, February 23, 2006

By	Caleb Coppock - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am just beginning my venture into critical discussion of the Arts and reading Relational Aesthetics sparked my interest in art's effect of linkageing and relating. The author explores and gives names of many artists working in the 90's that used human interaction as their medium.

The bad parts about this book are the many misspellings and the major stylistic shifts in the writing and translation.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars deeply flawed and overzealous, May 6, 2009

By	Robert C. Smith III "mashedbeef" (Eugene, OR) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book, presented as a critical text, gave academic cred to a group of artists who needed it. Like the fake articles in glossy magazines that upon closer inspection reveal themselves to be advertisements, this book hyped up a handful of artists whose self-congratulatory practices were all style and no content. The claim that Rirkrit Tiravanija or Liam Gillick had any sort of groundbreaking political novelty to present cannot withstand critical pressure. As we have seen, nothing they did had any effect other than annexing previously disruptive practices into the polite world of the gallery elite. Their actual relevance faded as did the ability of this text to hold any sort of critical water. Our generation's version of the emperor's new clothes. See Claire Bishop's Participation and her dialogue with Liam Gillick to see how flimsy Relational Aesthetics really is. (and by the way, it isn't just the poor translation's fault). Julian Stallabrass and Bishop both come at this type of work with a far sharper set of tools, and show that by Bourriaud's own claims, the artists who should be the referents here look far more like Thomas Hirshhorn and Gonzalez-Torres. In the context of these other artists and thinkers, Bourriaud's worldview just can't hold up.

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exciting and thought provoking book, June 18, 2007

By	Joshua J. Noble (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in performative and relational art. The translation is a little dodgy at times but the book is well worth it's price for provocative ideas, critical insight, and inspiration.