A review by lcr16
Which as You Know Means Violence: On Self-Injury as Art and Entertainment by Philippa Snow

dark funny informative

5.0

After reading the first two lines of the introduction involving Zizek and Fight Club, I knew this book was going to be a great read. Snow manages to be both engaging and insightful. Snow is particularly masterful in discusses how the identity of artists affected the intended meaning of their work or how the public tended to interpret them. Abramovic and Arsenault's respective art varies greatly in how they engage with pain, and risk of death. Like many artists within this genre, they are willing to die for their art and toy with the idea of their own death being made into art. The analysis of Jackass being a reaction to 9/11 for disaffected young men wanting to see other disaffected young men putting mousetraps on their nipples is genuinely hilarious and true. Knoxville might cringe at being called an artist, but he sacrifices his body for his craft continuously. Even John Waters recognized the campiness of Knoxville's craft. This was such a well-researched and refreshing read I could not put down! Thank you to NetGalley and Repeater Books for the e-ARC in return for an honest review.