Ron Athey is an iconic figure in contemporary art and performance. In his frequently bloody portrayals of life, death, crisis and fortitude in the time of AIDS, Athey calls into question the limits of artistic practice. These limits enable Athey to explore key themes including gender, sexuality, radical sex, queer activism, post-punk and industrial culture, tattooing and body modification, ritual and religion. This landmark publication includes Athey's own writings, commissioned essays by maverick artists and leading academics and full-colour images of Athey's art and performances since the early 1980s. The diverse range of artistic and critical contributors to the book reflects Athey's creative and cultural impact, among them musician Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons who contributed a foreword.
"Pleading in the Blood offers a remarkable and enduring contribution to literatures on performance and contemporary art... The potency of myth in Ron Athey's work is the problem tackled by this formidable new book."
Contemporary Theatre Review
"'The seventeen extensive essays from underworld luminaries of art and music attempt to nail Athey's ethos and individual practice ... This book being undeniably a celebration of Athey's life.'"
Trebuchet, Drum Major Russell MacEwan
"'The performance artist is given space to tell his own childhood which is fitting as both now literary image and visual image are under Athey's control. The whole book appears a lesson in discipline. It seeks to dispel myth.'"
