Hold it Against Me: Difficulty and Emotion in Contemporary Art

Writing for "the non-academic reader interested in contemporary art," Doyle examines the "difficult" work of artists on the fringe of the art world%E2%80%94mainly performance and photography by artists such as Ron Athey, Aliza Shvarts, Carrie Mae Weems, and David Wojnarowicz. These works, which tend to make audiences uncomfortable, address controversial issues of sexuality, race, disease, and death, and are often ignored or misunderstood by critics. Doyle (Sex Objects) defines these works as difficult on multiple levels because they complicate the "distinction between the figurative and the literal" and have a complex relationship to emotion. This includes not only representing the emotions of the artist (or lack thereof) and producing an emotional reaction within the audience, but also exploring the very nature of emotion and the relationship between artist and audience. Doyle blends scholarly critique with personal experience, producing a deep and broad analysis which is as much a critique of contemporary art criticism as contemporary art. Those not already well-versed in art criticism can still digest Doyle's analyses and reach their own conclusions, even though the works she discusses tend to slip away from hard and fast conclusions, which contributes to their inherent difficulty, but nevertheless makes the endeavor worthwhile. (Apr.)