What is art for? distils over 25 years of Ben Luke's conversations with artists into 25 in-depth interviews, tracing the shared passions, unexpected influences, and daily disciplines of some of the most significant practitioners working today.
About This Book
Conceived as the companion volume to the A brush with... podcast Luke launched with the Art Newspaper in 2020, this book edits and illustrates those conversations to create something the audio format cannot — a visually rich, permanent record. The artists span cities, continents, and generations: Michael Armitage, Tacita Dean, Theaster Gates, Arthur Jafa, Julie Mehretu, Do Ho Suh, and a dozen more speak candidly about their inspirations and motivations. Luke's own connective essays draw out the resonances between these different practices, making the book as much a work of critical synthesis as an artist interview collection. For anyone serious about contemporary art and creative practice, it rewards slow reading.
Key Features
- 400 pages of edited artist interviews and illustrated editorial content
- Written and compiled by Ben Luke, with texts by the author drawing connections across all 25 conversations
- Features Michael Armitage, Phyllida Barlow, Tacita Dean, Theaster Gates, Roni Horn, Arthur Jafa, Claudette Johnson, Ragnar Kjartansson, Julie Mehretu, Do Ho Suh, Sarah Sze, Stanley Whitney, and more
- Published by HENI, 2020
What You'll Discover
- How artists across generations describe the purpose and function of their own work — through their own words rather than critical interpretation
- The shared rituals, disciplines, and influences that connect practitioners working across vastly different cultural contexts
- What the final question Luke asks every podcast guest — "What is art for?" — reveals about each artist's deepest convictions
- How the interview format, when edited and contextualised with care, becomes a form of critical writing in itself
About the Author
Ben Luke is a writer and broadcaster whose engagement with artists spans more than 25 years. He conceived and launched the A brush with... podcast in partnership with the Art Newspaper in 2020, using long-form conversation to explore the working lives and ideas of contemporary artists.
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 400
- Dimensions: 172 x 240 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9781911736172
- Publisher: HENI
- Publication Date: 2020
Perfect For: Readers with a serious interest in contemporary art practice, curators and critics seeking first-hand artist perspectives, and anyone who engages with the A brush with... podcast and wants a lasting, illustrated companion.