Conversations before the end of time1995

When "the end of time" seems close at hand, what meaning or purpose can art possibly have? In this challenging series of dialogues with nineteen artists, writers, philosophers and critics, art critic Suzi Gablik addresses these and other central questions about the meaning and future of art in an age of accelerating social change and spiritual uncertainty. In conversations that are by turns intense, personal, philosophical, intimate and poignant, Hilton Kramer and Leo Castelli staunchly defend modernism's traditional isolation of art from political and social issues; sculptors Rachel Dutton and Rob Olds and performance artist Coco Fusco explore new kinds of art-making in an attempt to reconnect with the contemporary world; and Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul and archetypal psychologist James Hillman show how art's present crisis of meaning is tied to the broader context of our contemporary social and spiritual crises. Conversations Before the End of Time combines the incisive analysis of Suzi Gablik's previous criticism with the interactive creativity of the meeting of seminal minds; For anyone seriously concerned about the future of contemporary art and culture, it is both a sourcebook and an inspiration.