A Common Language of Cultural Provocation:

 Problematizing the Categorical Taxonomies of Art and Design Research

MARCH 2018
Conference paper given at PCA/ACA 2018 Conference

Abstract: Responding to the language differences surrounding exhibitions and scholarship of John Heartfield and George Lois’ similar practices, I argue that the theoretical terminology behind the concepts of  “high art” and “low art” have become irrelevant to the broader study of art and visual culture. Utilizing Sabine Kriebel’s concept of suture, I provide a close reading of the methodologies of visual content creators who worked across the shallow high/low divide — and have identified a common language that links John Heartfield and George Lois in unprecedented ways. In this presentation, I argue that it is only when such outmoded classifications are removed that the deeper context behind their images can be studied. In the case of Heartfield and Lois, once we excise the taxonomy, we can see a shared language of practice and cultural provocation within their work. In addition, we can pinpoint influential connections that can transform contemporary discussions of content creators across the high/low divide.