An Amorous Ethics: Virtue and Vice in Contemporary Art

Abstract

My doctoral project examines the intersection of ethics and aesthetics in contemporary art, through the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas, the feminisms of difference developed by Luce Irigaray, Julia Kristeva and Bracha Ettinger, and environmental concerns. An intrinsic ethics underlying art practice, in its production and reception, is proposed, with reference to the transgressive, relational and ecological fields. The studio work centers on the ocean and swimmers as an evocation of the feminine and intersubjectivity, combined with images of technological and scientific intrusions, executed in the mediums of painting, printmaking and drawing. In the development of the images I balance the structuring of technique and concepts with the theoretical work, so that a creative interaction is sustained. I have focused my theoretical study on the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas, in which the foundation of subjectivity is placed in the encounter with the other, as an irreducible difference embodied in the face to face experience. The problems and aporias of Levinas’ account are addressed by several critics, including the feminist philosopher and psychoanalyst, Luce Irigaray, who introduces a body of thought which has radically revised thinking on sexual difference. The work of Julia Kristeva and Bracha Ettinger offers differing versions of a feminine ethics, which they relate specifically to works of art. The feminist focus on materiality and embodiment is developed in the discussion on the ethical dynamics of art practice, and the analysis of our interactions with and dependency on the natural world, extending to the environment and non-human entities the Levinasian concepts of proximity, contact and sensibility. The intersection of the scientific and aesthetic fields is examined to clarify the role of interpretation in providing a general understanding of unfamiliar processes or concepts, leading to a more informed ethical awareness. The diversity of contemporary art practices allows the ethical dimension to manifest in a variety of ways, ranging from the cathartic shock of transgression to the participatory, dialogic interventions of relational art. All forms of art sharpen our awareness of the workings of affect in ethical decisions, by orchestrating an intuitive interplay of the psychological and sensate realms.