Ventriloquism, Performance, and Contemporary Art

Ventriloquism, Performance, and Contemporary Art volume calls attention to the unexpected prevalence of ventriloqual motifs and strategies within contemporary art.

Engaging with issues of voice, embodiment, power, and projection, the case studies assembled in this volume span a range of media from painting, sculpture, and photography to installation, performance, architecture, and video. Importantly, they both examine and enact ventriloqual practices, and do so as a means of interrogating and performatively bearing out contemporary conceptions of authorship, subjectivity, and performance. Put otherwise, the chapters in this book oscillate seamlessly between art history, theory, and criticism through both analytical and performative means. Across twelve essays on ventriloquism in contemporary art, the authors, who are curators, historians, and artists, shine light on this outdated practice, repositioning it as a conspicuous and meaningful trend within a range of artistic practices today.

This book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, contemporary art, media studies, performance, museum/curatorial studies, and theater.

"Ventriloquism, Performance, and Contemporary Art is a fascinating collection of essays on the use of ventriloquism and puppetry in contemporary art. The writing, research, and arguments are exemplary. The editors and writers make a compelling case for considering the topic of ventriloquism in relationship to painting, sculpture, installation, performance, video, and even architecture."

--Jennie Klein, Ohio University