Beyond Recognition

The writing of Craig Owens explored the relations among contemporary art, sexuality, race and power. During the fifteen years (1975-1990) that he lived in New York and wrote criticism for "Art in America", "October" and other publications, Owens covered a wide range of cultural practices: dance, architecture, art, literature, film, performance and theatre. Owens was trained as an art historian, but he is better described as a cultural critic and theorist, whose writings called into question established boundaries between disciplines, especially the separation of theory from practice. A major voice in postmodern culture and politics, Owens is equally well known and regarded for his contribution to debates around poststructuralism, sexual difference and gay politics.