The Estrangement Principle

By Ariel Goldberg

A book-length essay that travels through the limits and landscapes of categorization in recent histories of literature and art:

"I began collecting the phrase 'queer art' in all its sweaty megaphone pronouncements. I felt pricked by 'queer art,' which I heard being uttered all around me in the titles of group shows, dance parties, anthologies, mission statements, press releases. I was also collecting palpable silences around events that could have used the word 'queer,' but didn't. I had to get close to this description, like I get close to frames in museums, breathe on their glass and notice the dust. I wanted to get so close my vision would blur."