Friday Lates: The story of dangerous art

Humans have always used art to make sense of the less innocent aspects of ourselves and the world around us. In her debut book ‘Depraved: The Story of Dangerous Art’ published by Faber, philosopher of art Daisy Dixon takes the reader on a journey through some of the most volatile and contentious works ever produced — from prehistoric sculpture to extreme metal music, Renaissance paintings to videogames.

She reveals how beautiful art can sometimes be the most insidious, and why the greatest threat might lie in our own judgements about the art we censor or condemn.

Dixon is joined by art and literary historian Rebecca Marks to discuss the contentious themes raised by such artworks and how we can confront them head-on to tame their toxic effects.

Dr Daisy Dixon is a prize-winning philosopher with a PhD from the University of Cambridge. She is an Assistant Professor in Philosophy at Cardiff University and specialises in the philosophy of art — particularly immoral and dangerous art that entrenches structural injustice. She has published in academic journals on topics including oppressive monuments, aesthetic protest and deceptive art, and has presented her work on immoral artists on BBC radio and multiple podcasts. Dixon is also an artist and has an art practice in painting and sonic sculpture.

Dr Rebecca Marks has a PhD in English Romantic literature (University of Cambridge), a Masters in Art History (The Courtauld Institute) and a first-class undergraduate degree in English (University of Oxford). Since finishing her PhD, she has focused her energies on growing a robust online presence. This has led to sponsorships from HENI (luxury art books), MUBI (art-house cinema streaming service), and is currently one of our 200 Creators. Her work has begun to attract attention in the wider media, and she has been interviewed on the ‘Philosophy Everyday’ and ‘Creative Rebels’ podcasts.