Contemporary Art and Anthropology

Arnd Schneider is Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oslo.Christopher Wright is Lecturer in Anthropology at Goldsmiths College, University of London.

• Introduction: The Challenge of Practice (Arnd Schneider and Christopher Wright)1. Appropriations (Arnd Schneider)2. Moon and Mother: Francesco Clemente's Orient (Christopher Pinney, University College London)3. Where Green Grass Comes to Meet Blue Sky: a trajectory of Josef Sima (Michael Richardson, Waseda University, Tokyo)4. Encounters with the Work of Susan Hiller (Denise Robinson, independent scholar, London) 5. Reflections on Art and Agency: knot-sculpture between mathematics and art (Susanne Kuchler, University of London)6. Artists in the Field: On the Threshold between Art and Anthropology (George E. Marcus, Rice University and Fernando Calzadilla, New York University) 7. Photographic Essay (Dave Lewis, photographer, London)8. Dialogues with Dave Lewis, Rainer Wittenborn, Claus Biegert, Nikolaus Lang, and Rimer Cardillo (Arnd Schneider and Christopher Wright. Rainer Wittenborn, artist and Professor, Technical University of Munich. Claus Biegert, author and radio journalist, Munich. Nikolaus Lang, artist and Professor, The Academy of the Arts, Munich. Rimer Cardillo, artist and Professor of Printmaking at the State University of New York, New Paltz)9. Travels in a New World: work around a diasporic theme by Mohini Chandra (Elizabeth Edwards,University of the Arts, London College of Communication)10. The Ancient American Roots of Abstraction (Cesar Paternosto, Painter, Sculptor and Author, Segovia, Spain)11. Carlos Capelan: our modernity not theirs (Jonathan Friedman, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris, and University of Lund, Sweden) 12. The Case of Tattooing (Nicholas Thomas, Goldsmiths College)

"There is an anthropology of art and art-making, just as there is an anthropology that is art, butting at the crabby distinctions separating art from science. This book raises the wonderful specter of having the two combine forces to the benefit of both art and anthropology. A treat! - Michael Taussig, Columbia UniversityCrossing borders between academic disciplines -- being eclectic in methodologies of research and representation -- we more nearly approach the complex singularity of the human. This volume amply demonstrates the cross-disciplinary potential; refusing the confinements of categorical identities, Schneider, Wright and colleagues make manifest the creativity behind 'social science' and 'art' alike. - Nigel Rapport, Concordia UniversityDrawing on some of the most interesting of contemporary anthropologists, this book extends the critiques of 'writing culture' and the new anthropologiesof art by suggesting collaborative possibilities that, it is to be hoped, provide a new horizon for the next generation of practitioners. It was a pleasure to read the unexpected forays in themselves and in the context of this well-crafted project. - Fred Myers, New York University'Contemporary Art and Anthropology' provides a major pioneering step towards bridging the two areas of practice achieved through seeking areas of overlap. This approach not onlyprovides a useful framework for artists and anthropologists alike, but also opens up a dialogue between the two disciplines and sets the stage for future experimental work. - Terence Wright, University of Ulster'Contemporary Art and Anthropology' takes a new and exciting approach to representational practices within contemporary art and anthropology. - visualanthropology.netThis is the value of 'Contemporary Art and Anthropology': it suggests possibilities and encourages experimental juxtapositions while actively calling for an expanding dialogue. It is a stimulating text that will be of interest to artists, museum and gallery professionals, and the general reader. - Journal of Museum Ethnography'Contemporary Art and Anthropology' is a consistently exciting and varied book. Its pictures and text open up new and unsual vistas. - Zeitschrift fuer Ethnologie"