Beyond the politics of reception: Jacques Rancière and the politics of art

Abstract

Jacques Ranciere’s work has become a major reference point for discussions of art and politics. However, while Ranciere’s negative theses (about what “political art” is not) are becoming widespread and well understood, his positive thesis is still poorly understood, owing partly to Ranciere’s own formulation of the issue. I first clarify Ranciere’s account of the links between politics and art. I then explore a gap in this account; Ranciere has stuck too closely to a politics of art’s reception. I argue for a politics of art production, which would expand the possible engagement between politics and art.