Date of Award
2019
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Humanities
First Advisor
Brion, Katherine
Area of Concentration
Humanities
Abstract
This thesis explores the political framing of Thomas Hirschhorn’s Gramsci Monument, a temporary installation into the urban public space of the Forest Houses housing project in the Bronx, New York in 2013. This temporary community-based work resisted “activist” art practices, a popular trend in contemporary art since the 1990s. The monument proposes a politics of making connections and confronting the reality of the social in an urban setting as opposed to one that adheres to a specific representation of a political approach to communities and public space. I begin by examining this political resistance in Hirschhorn’s conceptual frameworks. Then, I show how his material form resisted traditional monuments and institutional space. Lastly, I discuss the practical benefits it provided to the community at Forest Houses, as well as its potential setbacks.
Recommended Citation
De Gregorio, Abigail, "“Doing Art Politically”: Thomas Hirschhorn’s Gramsci Monument" (2019). Theses & ETDs. 5676.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/5676