Forgetting the Art World

The insightful essays in Lee's latest (after Chronophobia: On Time in the Art of the 1960s) argue that the art world must be understood not as existing above realities such as globalization and world capitalism, but rather as an active participant in constructing those realities, raising the question of "how to confront the relation between globalization and contemporary art when we are both object of, and agent for, such processes." Lee, a professor of art history at Stanford, takes on four explicatory topics to construct her argument, looking at Takashi Murakami's work and Post-Fordism, Andreas Gursky and the concept of ether, Thomas Hirschhorn largely in relation to the philosopher Baruch Spinoza, and the rise of "pseudo-collectives" in contemporary art practices. Each essay is rich with contemporary connections and able to stand alone, and together they form a nuanced take on the art world and some of its biggest failings, bringing diverse theories to bear on the art works and the processes of the artists themselves. While Lee is spectacularly informed, she navigates the complexity of her topic with ease, creating a clear argument that avoids polemic in favor of deeper insight, even as she stresses that "the art world's penchant for the frivolous and its coziness with an ascendant oligarchy can only confound%E2%80%94or even offend." For this insistence on a revised understanding of contemporary art practice, Lee's text is as invaluable as it is engaging. Color illustrations. (Sept.) Walking the Amazon: 860 Days. One Step at a Time Ed Stafford Plume, $16 trade paper (320p) ISBN 978-0-452-29826-2 In 2010, Stafford, a retired British army captain and worldwide expedition leader, became the first person to walk the entire length of the Amazon River. Accompanied for the majority of the trip by a Peruvian forestry worker nicknamed "Cho," Stafford trekked across mountains, through jungles, and always downriver. 4,000 miles and 860-days after he set out, the intrepid traveler raced into the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Here, Stafford recounts numerous details of his trip%E2%80%94from the nerve-wracking preparations to the extensive list of equipment and technical paraphernalia necessary for the expedition%E2%80%94as well as thrilling anecdotes from the trail. En route, Stafford and Cho navigated flood waters, stumbled upon Incan mummies in remote cemeteries, dealt with hostile natives, and endured the miserable "manta blanca (white coat)%E2%80%A6 [of] swarms of sand flies and mosquitoes." In addition to the countless traumas and triumphs of the physically demanding journey, Stafford holds forth on grander issues whose impact he witnessed firsthand, including drug-trafficking and deforestation and their effects on tribal communities. Fans of Jon Krakauer will revel in Stafford's environmentally-minded adventure. Photos. (Aug.)