Suffering from Realness

Contemporary artists examine the human condition from all sides in this riveting collection of American art that questions how we represent ourselves in the 21st century.

In an age of national divisiveness, artists are creating moments of political resistance while also trying to forge paths towards reconciliation. This exciting and provocative collection shows how fifteen US-based multi-disciplinary artists are addressing the complexity of the 21st century. Jeffrey Gibson weaves together European and Native American cultures; performance artist Cassils constructs images of resistance in the Trans community; Hayv Kahraman examines diasporic culture and the effect of being a refugee in America. Together these artists create a national collective portrait of a country at odds.

This book examines the human condition from all sides and strives to show how acting together against suffering can lead to a new version of realness.

Book Features:

• Each artist featured in the book addresses a contemporary social problem in their work and shows how addressing the problem can expand the dialogue surrounding the issue and offer hope for a solution for the future.
• Many of the contributors of this book are well-known artists and authors such as Jeffrey Gibson and Robert Longo.

197 images

About the Author

Denise Markonish is Curator at MASS MoCA, where her recent exhibits include Nick Cave: Until and a survey of contemporary Canadian art.