For Want of Ambiguity: Order and Chaos in Art, Psychoanalysis, and Neuroscience (Psychoanalytic Horizons)

For Want of Ambiguity investigates how the dialogue between psychoanalysis and neuroscience can shed light on the transformational capacity of contemporary art. Through neuroscientific and psychoanalytic exploration of the work of Diamante Faraldo, Ai Weiwei, Ida Barbarigo, Xavier Le Roy, Bill T. Jones, Cindy Sherman, Francis Bacon, Agnes Martin, and others, For Want of Ambiguity offers a new perspective on how insight is achieved and on how art opens us up to new ways of being. Nominated for the 2019 Gradiva® Award for Best Book by the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis (NAAP) For Want of Ambiguity investigates how the dialogue between psychoanalysis and neuroscience can shed light on the transformational capacity of contemporary art. Through neuroscienfitic and psychoanalytic exploration of the work of Diamante Faraldo, Ai Weiwei, Ida Barbarigo, Xavier Le Roy, Bill T. Jones, Cindy Sherman, Francis Bacon, Agnes Martin, and others, For Want of Ambiguity offers a new perspective on how insight is achieved and on how art opens us up to new ways of being. "For Want of Ambiguity investigates how the dialogue between psychoanalysis and neuroscience can shed light on the transformational capacity of contemporary art. Through neuroscienfitic and psychoanalytic exploration of the work of Diamante Faraldo, Ai Weiwei, Ida Barbarigo, Xavier Le Roy, Bill T. Jones, Cindy Sherman, Francis Bacon, Agnes Martin, and others, For Want of Ambiguity offers a new perspective on how insight is achieved and on how art opens us up to new ways of being."--Bloomsbury Publishing. Cover Figures Foreword Acknowledgments Introduction: (Re)making meaning 1 Shaping private demons 2 A play of selves: Art as play 3 Narrating the self 4 Mapping: The need for borders 5 The fluidity of time and space in art, psychoanalysis, and neuroscience 6 Resisting representation Conclusion: Order and chaos or framing ambiguity Notes Bibliography About the authors Index Introduction : (re) making meaning -- Shaping private demons -- A play of selves : art as play -- Narrating the self -- Mapping : the need for borders -- The fluidity of time and space in art, psychoanalysis, and neuroscience -- Resisting representation -- Conclusion : order and chaos or framing ambiguity