The address of spirituality in contemporary art
type: CreativeWork
description: The thesis explores the use of religious themes and the notion of self-design in contemporary art practice. It argues that art today that addresses religion does so primarily for its rhetorical function: for a recognizable pattern of persuasiveness, which is ultimately defined by its established mechanisms of belief. Furthermore, it suggests that it is through an engagement with this secularized rhetoric that the art viewer today can potentially be provoked to re-create oneself in ones own terms; or, in Richard Rorty's terms, to 'revocabularize'.
abstract: The thesis explores the use of religious themes and the notion of self-design in contemporary art practice. It argues that art today that addresses religion does so primarily for its rhetorical function: for a recognizable pattern of persuasiveness, which is ultimately defined by its established mechanisms of belief. Furthermore, it suggests that it is through an engagement with this secularized rhetoric that the art viewer today can potentially be provoked to re-create oneself in ones own terms; or, in Richard Rorty's terms, to 'revocabularize'.
author: Rowe, Lois
keywords: Fine Art, Film & Sound Recording
identifier: Rowe, Lois <https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/view/creators/Rowe=3ALois=3A=3A.html>, Francesco Buranelli <https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/view/creators/Francesco_Buranelli.html>, Florian Roithmayr <https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/view/creators/Florian_Roithmayr.html> (2011) The address of spirituality in contemporary art. PhD thesis, University of the Arts London and Goldsmiths College, London.
date published: 2011-07
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:00:32Z
provider: University of the Arts London
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of the Arts London