Are there any intersections between the concepts of radical intimacy outlined in your book and your artistic practice?

My book is an outgrowth of both my education in philosophy and art theory, and my own curiosities as an artist and curator. The project was an opportunity to contextualize and “make sense” of the work of several contemporary artists whose art I really love and respect, and who take such a radical approach to intimacy and sexuality that they have operated on the fringes of the art world. I can relate to their position as artists on the edge, as my own work has sometimes generated responses as varied as shock, repulsion and even objectification of both the work itself and myself as a person. It is fascinating to me how sexuality is so often repressed and censored, despite being such a shared construct across humanity. Sexuality is also highly political as it both reflects and challenges ideological constructs. So, despite its shared nature, its specific manifestations are diverse and contingent on context. In some ways, the writing and research I embarked upon was a way to understand and situate my own obsessions through a scholarly lens. The intersections include an interest in non-normative bodies and relationships, as well as looking directly at the sexual body, rather than burying it in innuendo. Metaphor and poetics play a huge role in both my work and the works of the artists I detail in the book, but never at the expense of clear seeing. My background in photography has helped me appreciate the importance of representation, as well as how the act of looking can be radical in and of itself. Writing the book helped to illuminate the subtle messages of otherwise bold and at times even aggressive imagery. I suppose that, in a way, writing the book helped me form a community around myself and my ideas, while also creating a forum for these artists who I so deeply respect to be incorporated into critical discourse and art history in general.

Moscovitch, K. (2023). Radical Intimacy in Contemporary Art. Bloomsbury Academic.

Author Interview