French Literature Reviews - 2026

B. Groys, In Public: The Poetics of Self-Design
Art and Visual Culture

In Public: The Poetics of Self-Design
Boris Groys

Publication date: 04/08/2015 Publisher: PUF Collection: Perspectives Critiques ISBN: 978-2-13-062618-3 EAN: 9782130626183 Format: Paperback No. of pages: 208 p.

We continue to view art as spectators, even though we have now become its actors. Such is the striking observation made by Boris Groys, the *enfant terrible* of contemporary art theory. But what does this mean? What are the implications—not only aesthetic, but also political—of the fulfillment of Joseph Beuys's prophecy that one day everyone will have to become an artist? What is a world in which image-makers outnumber spectators? Why has art abandoned its specialized domain to permeate every dimension of human existence, ranging from the self-promotion of politicians to our own narcissistic self-construction? What remains of art and artists once they have become the default setting of our societies? In *In Public*, Boris Groys leaves none of these questions unanswered, drawing us into a dizzying spiral that thoroughly reshapes our understanding of contemporaneity.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Poetics vs. Aesthetics
The Duty of Self-Design
The Production of Sincerity
The Politics of Installation
The Loneliness of the Project
Comrades of Time
Weak Universalism
Marx after Duchamp, or the Two Bodies of the Artist
Religion in the Age of Digital Reproduction
Immortal Bodies

Boris Groys is one of the most innovative figures in contemporary thought. He is the author of numerous books, including, in French translation, *Politique de l'immortalité* (Maren Sell, 2005), *Le post-scriptum communiste* (Maren Sell, 2008), and *Portrait de l'artiste en masochiste* (Arkhê, 2013). He teaches at Columbia University in New York.

The transition from passive spectatorship to universal participation has long occupied thinkers examining the intersection of aesthetics and politics. In In Public: The Poetics of Self-Design, Boris Groys explores how image-makers outnumber spectators in contemporary culture, addressing the implications of Joseph Beuys's famous prophecy. The volume examines how art has moved beyond specialized domains to permeate human existence, touching upon self-promotion and individual self-construction. Readers interested in contemporary art theory and the shifting boundaries between art and life may find these discussions relevant to current cultural conditions.

Across various thematic explorations, the book reflects on the changing status of art and artists within modern societies. The text addresses questions concerning the relationship between poetics and aesthetics, the production of sincerity, and the politics of installation. It also considers broader cultural themes such as the loneliness of the project, weak universalism, and religion in the age of digital reproduction. Through these reflections, the work contributes to ongoing conversations regarding contemporaneity, art, and the role of the individual in an image-saturated world.