Re-evaluating Byung-Chul Han’s Stance against the Aesthetics of the Smooth in Jeff Koons’ The Balloon Dogs

This article analyses the critical stance of Byung-Chul Han towards the aesthetics of the smooth as it is epitomized by Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dogs. In his critique of Neoliberalism, Han argued that arts are the Other that contests the consumption and velocity of the digital...

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Main Author: Kongkrit Triyawong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Faculty of Humanities, Chiang Mai University 2022-11-01
Series:Journal of Integrative and Innovative Humanities
Subjects:
Online Access:https://so07.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/DJIIH/article/view/1792/1347
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author Kongkrit Triyawong
author_facet Kongkrit Triyawong
author_sort Kongkrit Triyawong
collection DOAJ
description This article analyses the critical stance of Byung-Chul Han towards the aesthetics of the smooth as it is epitomized by Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dogs. In his critique of Neoliberalism, Han argued that arts are the Other that contests the consumption and velocity of the digital age. Accordingly, Han devalued arts to be merely within the contemplative stance. The vita contempletiva is positioned as a contesting vita activa that devalues human beings to be simply animal laborans that exploit themselves in the achievement society. Art demands distance and contests lustful touch. Consequently, Han praised only certain genres of arts and ignored the potentials of contemporary arts which could point out political issues in public domains. In order to solve this problem, the author proposes two following arguments: Ways out to solve the problem in this digital age that affects the lives of human beings can be considered within the framework of contemporary arts, and to redeem human beings from exploitation in the capitalist working environment requires struggling for recognition through arts.
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publisher Faculty of Humanities, Chiang Mai University
record_format Article
series Journal of Integrative and Innovative Humanities
spelling doaj-art-35f41e74bc0b4e5ba80f21c51f6bcb392025-08-20T03:29:26ZengFaculty of Humanities, Chiang Mai UniversityJournal of Integrative and Innovative Humanities3056-97612022-11-01222737Re-evaluating Byung-Chul Han’s Stance against the Aesthetics of the Smooth in Jeff Koons’ The Balloon DogsKongkrit Triyawong0Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, Silpakorn UniversityThis article analyses the critical stance of Byung-Chul Han towards the aesthetics of the smooth as it is epitomized by Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dogs. In his critique of Neoliberalism, Han argued that arts are the Other that contests the consumption and velocity of the digital age. Accordingly, Han devalued arts to be merely within the contemplative stance. The vita contempletiva is positioned as a contesting vita activa that devalues human beings to be simply animal laborans that exploit themselves in the achievement society. Art demands distance and contests lustful touch. Consequently, Han praised only certain genres of arts and ignored the potentials of contemporary arts which could point out political issues in public domains. In order to solve this problem, the author proposes two following arguments: Ways out to solve the problem in this digital age that affects the lives of human beings can be considered within the framework of contemporary arts, and to redeem human beings from exploitation in the capitalist working environment requires struggling for recognition through arts.https://so07.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/DJIIH/article/view/1792/1347neoliberalismdigital technologiesaesthetics of the smoothvita contemplativaachievement society
spellingShingle Kongkrit Triyawong
Re-evaluating Byung-Chul Han’s Stance against the Aesthetics of the Smooth in Jeff Koons’ The Balloon Dogs
Journal of Integrative and Innovative Humanities
neoliberalism
digital technologies
aesthetics of the smooth
vita contemplativa
achievement society
title Re-evaluating Byung-Chul Han’s Stance against the Aesthetics of the Smooth in Jeff Koons’ The Balloon Dogs
title_full Re-evaluating Byung-Chul Han’s Stance against the Aesthetics of the Smooth in Jeff Koons’ The Balloon Dogs
title_fullStr Re-evaluating Byung-Chul Han’s Stance against the Aesthetics of the Smooth in Jeff Koons’ The Balloon Dogs
title_full_unstemmed Re-evaluating Byung-Chul Han’s Stance against the Aesthetics of the Smooth in Jeff Koons’ The Balloon Dogs
title_short Re-evaluating Byung-Chul Han’s Stance against the Aesthetics of the Smooth in Jeff Koons’ The Balloon Dogs
title_sort re evaluating byung chul han s stance against the aesthetics of the smooth in jeff koons the balloon dogs
topic neoliberalism
digital technologies
aesthetics of the smooth
vita contemplativa
achievement society
url https://so07.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/DJIIH/article/view/1792/1347
work_keys_str_mv AT kongkrittriyawong reevaluatingbyungchulhansstanceagainsttheaestheticsofthesmoothinjeffkoonstheballoondogs