Goldsmiths Publishes Gavin Butt and Irit Rogoff on 'Seriousness' in Visual Cultures, Critiquing Artworld Spectacles

Goldsmiths, University of London has launched a publication series on visual cultures, including a contribution by Gavin Butt and Irit Rogoff titled 'Visual Cultures as Seriousness'. The work examines the concept of seriousness within the discipline, which originated from cultural studies pioneers like Stuart Hall and Richard Hoggart in the 1950s. Rogoff argues that the contemporary artworld has become inhospitable to serious intellectual activity, criticizing museums such as Tate Modern and MoMA for prioritizing accessibility over meaningful engagement. She contends that prepackaged, marketed formats treat art as fully resolved entities, preventing audiences from participating in ongoing cultural conversations. Butt focuses more narrowly on camp and drag performers, analyzing how figures like David Hoyle address political subjects with seriousness. The publication is described as brief and propositional, resembling a conference panel discussion. Rogoff's critique references broader artworld trends, including popular spectacles like Random International's Rain Room at MoMA and the Barbican, and market influences highlighted by websites like sellyoulater.com. She calls for a recalibrated intellectual intensity as a form of seriousness, questioning which artworld deserves passionate attention amid diverse participants from daytrippers to hedge funders. The article was first published in April 2014.