Artistic practices and the artistic dispositif – A critical review

Abstract

This article explores several different ways that art has been integrated into and rearticulated by various disciplines over the last few decades. In the face of a new trend —a steady increase in the inclusion of art in different disci-plines— critical analysis seems necessary to distinguish those artistic practices which challenge the hegemonic discourse from those that reify it and use the arts for social control. To meet this objective, the concept of the ‘artistic dispositif ’ is described and applied to contemporary art, art therapy, and different research methods using the arts. Concerning the latter, a particular focus will be given to the encounters between art and ethnography. Analyzing different artistic practices in this context allows for a deeper understanding of how to utilize art to challenge hegemony and to defy institutional limits and frontiers.