The Changing Meaning of Kitsch

This book inaugurates a new phase in kitsch studies. Kitsch, an aesthetic slur of the 19th and the 20th century, is increasingly considered a positive term and at the heart of today's society. Eleven distinguished authors from philosophy, cultural studies and the arts discuss a wide range of topics including beauty, fashion, kitsch in the context of mourning, bio-art, visual arts, architecture and political kitsch. In addition, the editors provide a concise theoretical introduction to the volume and the subject. The role of kitsch in contemporary culture and society is innovatively explored and the volume aims not to condemn but to accept and understand why kitsch has become acceptable today.

Inaugurates a new more positive phase in kitsch studies Interdisciplinary in approach encompassing philosophy, cultural studies and the arts Explores the new role of kitsch in contemporary culture

Auteur

Max Ryynänen is Senior Lecturer of Theory of Visual Culture in Aalto University (Helsinki/Espoo)

Paco Barragán is an arts writer and curator and has earned an international PhD from the University of Salamanca (USAL), Spain

Contenu
Kitsch: From Rejection to Acceptance: On the Changing Meaning of Kitsch in Today's Cultural Production (Introduction).- PART I: Kitsch and Life.- Kitsch in the Hypermodern Era.- Sailing the Seas of Cheese.- Kitsch in Relation to Loss.- Old Tricks for a New Dog: Toilet Humor, Politicized Kitsch and the Trump Presidency.- PART II: Kitsch and Culture.- Kitsch and Architecture.- From Fashion as Kitsch to Kitsch in Fashion: Redefining Beauty and Taste Today.- Digital Kitsch. Art and Kitsch in the Informational Milieu.- Kitsch, Beauty and Artistic Practice.- Biokitsch in Art: And the Survival of the Prettiest.- Epilogue: What Next?