Populist hegemony, critical art and installation art.: Reflexiones estéticas a partir de la política agonista de Chantal Mouffe

Abstract

The present article revolves around the relation of arts to populist hegemony as theorized by Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. The latter has been addressing this relation in recent years. That is why we focus on Mouffe’s thinking, although we cannot overlook the important work of Laclau to reflect on the relationship between populist hegemony and artistic practices. Firstly, we address the issue of critical arts, in particular the problem whether neoliberal hegemony can be confronted from the artistic realm. Furthermore, in the following pages we raise an issue that bears certain resemblance to political theology and which has a great influence on Laclau and Mouffe: the structural affinity of populist thinking to a particular art form, the one of installations, which Mouffe has given considerable prominence through the figure of Alfredo Jaar.