Autotheory as Feminist Practice in Art, Writing, and Criticism
Lauren Fournier, writer, independent curator, artist, and author of\xa0Autotheory as Feminist Practice in Art, Writing, and Criticism\xa0discusses her forthcoming book with writer, educator and philosopher\xa0McKenzie Wark\xa0(A Hacker Manifesto, Gamer Theory, Capital Is Dead,\xa0Reverse Cowgirl.)\nIn the 2010s, the term \u201cautotheory\u201d began to trend in literary spheres, where it was used to describe books in which memoir and autobiography fused with theory and philosophy. In this book, Lauren Fournier extends the meaning of the term, applying it to other disciplines and practices. Fournier provides a long-awaited account of autotheory, situating it as a mode of contemporary, post-1960s artistic practice that is indebted to feminist writing, art, and activism. Investigating a series of works by writers and artists including Chris Kraus and Adrian Piper, she considers the politics, aesthetics, and ethics of autotheory.\nFournier argues that the autotheoretical turn signals the tenuousness of illusory separations between art and life, theory and practice, work and the self\u2014divisions long blurred by feminist artists and scholars. Autotheory challenges dominant approaches to philosophizing and theorizing while enabling new ways for artists and writers to reflect on their lives. She argues that Kraus's 1997\xa0I Love Dick\xa0marked the emergence of a newly performative, post-memoir \u201cI\u201d; recasts Piper's 1971 performance work\xa0Food for the Spirit\xa0as autotheory; considers autotheory as critique; examines practices of citation in autotheoretical work, including Maggie Nelson's\xa0The Argonauts; and looks at the aesthetics and ethics of disclosure and exposure, exploring the nuanced feminist politics around autotheoretical practices and such movements as #MeToo. Fournier formulates autotheory as a reflexive movement, connecting thinking, making art, living, and theorizing.\nHosted and produced by Sam Kelly;\xa0Mixed by Samantha Doyle;\xa0Soundtrack by Kristen Gallerneaux\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices\nSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies