The Monstrous in Art: From King Kong to Contemporary Queer Aesthetics
In Artribune Magazine #51, Marcello Faletra explores the revival of monstrous imagery in contemporary art since the 1980s, connecting it to both historical and mythological roots. He posits that today's monsters draw their dramatic essence from King Kong, while earlier mythologies portrayed them as conduits of supernatural forces. Faletra points to Matthew Barney's androgynous figures in the Cremaster series and Joel-Peter Witkin's queer photographic style. He places the resurgence of androgynous representations within a broader historical context, citing Shakespeare's Macbeth and Balzac's 'Sarrasine.' Defining the monster as a conceptual boundary that challenges thought, science, and art, Faletra notes that the term itself resists a clear definition, arising in contrast to the notion of 'normal.'
Key facts
- Marcello Faletra authored the essay for Artribune Magazine #51.
- The essay discusses the resurgence of monstrous themes in art since the 1980s.
- Matthew Barney's Cremaster cycle features post-organic androgynies.
- Joel-Peter Witkin's photography explores queer aesthetics with bispecies in tableaux vivants.
- The article references Shakespeare's Macbeth and Balzac's 'Sarrasine'.
- The surrealist movement introduced cruelty and sado-masochistic elements to the androgyne figure.
- The monster is defined as a conceptual and social threshold for knowledge and power.
- Marco Ferreri's film 'La donna scimmia' is cited as an example of monstrous spectacle.
Entities
Artists
- Marcello Faletra
- Matthew Barney
- Joel-Peter Witkin
- Marco Ferreri
Institutions
- Artribune Magazine