The Lure of the Social

Reviews / Votes

"What story do you want to hear about social practices?' was the opening question Coombs posed to the artists she met. The responses are fleshed out in this engaging ethnography of a complex, contested field of arts practice. [...] We can never get a real sense of the places, people and processes involved in social practices unless we were there, but thankfully Coombs was listening in, taking notes. The result is a collection of encounters that trace the ideas that have informed these socially engaged artists. The whispers between delegates, the discussions over lunches have informed Coombs' own positionality and understanding of the stories artists tell. The way she has written these up allows for the contradictions felt in these practices to be aired. The book presents hope in these 'pockets of resistance', that these processes and ways of working can effect change.' -- Sophie Hope, Cultural Sociology "A modern-day Vasari's The Lives of The Artists for the era of socially engaged art, The Lure of the Social is an intimate journey with key individuals into the gatherings and institutions that make up the field. Coombs' voice is insightful and knowledgeable, and the writing is moving and often strikingly beautiful. While there are many, many books on Socially Engaged Art, the experimental and intensely personal nature of this book sets it apart. It is a book of and for the field." -- Stephen Duncombe, professor of media and culture at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study and the department of media, culture and communication at the Steinhardt School of New York University. Author of Dream: Re-Imagining Progressive Politics in an Age of Fantasy "Gretchen Coombs's important, engaging book puts the 'social' back into the often institutionalized medium of social practice. Through a series of studio visits, Coombs takes the reader behind the scenes, creating nuanced and telling portraits of some of today's leading practitioners. Coombs's approach-at once critical and anthropological-is blissfully unrhetorical. The Lure of the Social captures the heart of one of the most important artistic movements to emerge in the 21st century, and one that is here to stay." -- Chris Kraus, author of Social Practices and After Kathy Acker: A Literary Biography "Artists and activists lured to the social-anyone interested in leaping the walls between art and life-will find this book a smart, accessible, and eye-opening treasure trove. It is full of fascinating projects, many new to me, presented on a first-name basis through the author's intimate discussions with the artists and facilitating organizations. The pros and cons of social practice art have rarely been so intelligently examined." -- Lucy R. Lippard, author of Undermining: A Wild Ride Through Land Use, Politics and Art in the Changing West