BELOW: MATTHEW BARNEY, CREMASTER 4, 1994

ACCORDING TO WOLFE, COMPREHENDING A « NEW REALITY » IN WHICH HUMAN BEINGS OCCUPY A UNIVERSE « POPULATED BY… NONHUMAN SUBJECTS » REQUIRES A POSTHUMANISM WHICH ENTAILS « AN INCREASE IN THE VIGILANCE, RESPONSIBILITY, AND HUMILITY THAT ACCOMPANY LIVING IN A WORLD SO NEWLY, AND DIFFERENTLY, INHABITED ».

WHAT IS POSTHUMANISM? DOES NOT PRESENT THE READER WITH A DEFINITIVE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION POSED BY ITS TITLE – THIS WOULD HARDLY BE POSSIBLE AT THIS JUNCTURE. IT DOES, HOWEVER, OFFER AN EMBODIMENT OF WOLFE’S VISION PLAYED OUT IN A WIDE ARRAY OF CULTURAL, INSTITUTIONAL AND ARTISTIC SITES OF INQUIRY, WITH EACH CHAPTER FUNCTIONING AS A STIMULATING THEORETICAL PROBE CONTRIBUTING TO THE EMERGENCE OF A NEW PARADIGM OF RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE.

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