Marc James Leger - The Neoliberal Undead: Essays on Contemporary Art and Politics

Most of the essays in this book were written between the years 2009 and 2011. I would especially like to thank those individuals who created opportunities for me to present my work, or who helped me sharpen some of the ideas and writing, in particular, Izida Zorde, the Critical Social Research Collaborative at Carleton University, Isabelle Lelarge, Richard Martel, Richard Dyer and Yvie Andrews, Carole Cond and Karl Beveridge, Jackie Sumell and Herman Wallace, Karen van Meenen and Lucia Sommer, Pierre Allard and ATSA, Katy Siegel, Montreals Convergence des luttes anti-capitalistes (CLAC), Stevphen Shukaitis, Jeff Shantz, Imre Szeman, and Gerald Raunig. Rosika Desnoyers readings of these essays and my frequent conversations with her helped me to better articulate many of my concerns.

Thanks to all of the artists and cultural institutions that gave me permissions to publish images of artwork and to reprint versions of those essays that have appeared previously. Art World as Zombie Culture was first presented in the context of the panel The Neoliberal Undead: First as Tragedy, Then as Farce, organized by Bruce Barber and myself for the Universities Art Association of Canada Annual Conference, Guelph University, October 2010. Parts of the latter were published in Whose Excellence? Our Excellence! Fuse 33:3 (Summer 2010) 24-26. Culture and the Communist Turn was presented at the Varieties of Socialism, Varieties of Approaches conference at Carleton University, March 5, 2011. Alterglobal Allegory: Cond and Beveridge Against the Commodification of Water, was published in French in Inter #107 (Winter 2011) 46-50. By Any Means Necessary: From the Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas to the Art Activism of Jackie Sumell was published in Afterimage 38:5 (March/April 2011) 8-14 (See www.vsw.org/ai.). Afterthoughts on Engaged Art Practice: ATSA and the State of Emergency, was published in Art Journal 70:2 (Summer 2011) 50-65. The Non-Productive Role of the Artist: The Creative Industries in Canada was published in Third Text 24:5 (September 2010) 50-65. Protesting Degree Zero: On Black Bloc Tactics, Culture and Building the Movement, was first presented on the InterActivist Info Exchange website (November 16, 2010) and subsequently included in Jeff Shantzs edited anthology Protest and Punishment. The Qubec Maple Spring, the Red Square and After was presented on the website of the European Institute for Progressive Cultural Policy in October 2012.

Some mention should be made also of the people who are involved in the radical reshaping of contemporary art discourse and with whom I have had the pleasure of working or discussing. Among them are Brian Holmes, Gregory Sholette, Jennifer Gradecki, Michael Blum and Barbara Clausen, Oliver Ressler, David Tomas, Claude Lacroix as well as Jason Jones, Beka Economopulos and Jodi Dean at Not An Alternative. Special thanks go to Tariq Goddard and John Hunt at Zero Books, and Marc Herbst at the Journal of Aesthetics and Protest. For financial assistance I wish to acknowledge the Government of Qubec. Superlatives are reserved for Cayley Sorochan, champion of ideology critique, and special dedications go to my father, Thomas Lger, who taught me how to spot a zombie.