Let's Entertain Life's Guilty Pleasures Author:Dike Blair, Akiko Busch, Susan Davis, Emma Duncan, Joshua Gamson Essays by Dike Blair, Akiko Busch, Susan Davis, Emma Duncan, Joshua Gamson, Mike Kelley, Pierre Lvy, Greil Marcus, Neil Postman, Richard Shusterman, and Philippe Vergne. Let's Entertain: Life's Guilty Pleasures brings together artists who focus their work on the edge of entertainment, not simply to amuse or engage an audience, but also to refle... more »ct on a current major social phenomenon: the spectacularization of quotidian experience, from sports and politics to the management of cultural institutions (the box-office syndrome). Playing with pastiche and simulation, these artists expose the contradictions, illusions, and utopian dreams of what 30 years ago came to be called the "Society of Spectacle." However, they acknowledge that we are no longer passive witnesses to the blurring of high and low culture but captive protagonists, obliged to find our way through the fog. This major collection of interdisciplinary essays by several notable cultural critics examines the many issues surrounding the relationship between art and entertainment. Drawn from various fields of expertise, cultural studies, design, architecture, economics, philosophy, these eminent writers address topics as varied as the films of David Lynch, customizing the body, entertainment retail, celebrity politics, and the return to pleasure. Beautifully designed and produced, this combination of engaging texts and visuals will appeal to a diverse audience attuned to the interrelationships of contemporary culture. "It is good for the artist to insinuate himself into the open mesh of any system, not in a provocative and visible way, but mimetically, using their same mediums." Maurizio Catalan "I am not an athlete anymore, I am an entertainer." Dennis Rodman Artists include: Doug Aitken Vanessa Beecroft Leigh Bowery Maurizio Catalan Stan Douglas Felix Gonzalez-Torres Douglas Gordon Dan Graham Duane Hanson Damien Hirst Mike Kelley Martin Kippenberger Jeff Koons Paul McCarthy Mariko Mori Yasumasa Morimura Gabriel Orozco Richard Prince Charles Ray Ugo Rondinone Cindy Sherman Andreas Slominski Piotr Uklanski Andy Warhol« less