Summary
69
bling-bling
Spring / Summer 2010
Excess, exuberance, cheap knockoffs, and kitsch have literally invaded pop culture. Symptomatic of the trend, the term bling-bling seems especially suited for dealing with these artistic productions. First connected with hip-hop, the term has been taken up either to describe some conspicuous behaviour on the art scene, or to qualify works that employ overstated, flashy materials. The approach to bling-bling taken in this issue then, while offering an analysis of its particular aesthetics, affords varied reflections on different so-called “bling-bling” attitudes in contemporary society.
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The Artistic Bling-bling: From Flashy
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Tourism
Spring Summer 2024
Because it is essential for it to be open to the world, art is particularly affected by concerns related to planetary travel. From a position at the intersection of contemporary art, leisure, ecology, and destination culture, Esse no. 111 observes artists’ and critical thinkers’ strategies for revisiting the very notion of tourism. Although the harmful impacts of the tourism industry are beyond question, the thematic section avoids falling prey to tourismphobia and simply pointing out its failures. Rather, this issue offers a guided tour of situations and places where art and tourism converge.