The first English language scholarly collection of essays on the leading Berlin based German artist and filmmaker Ulrike Ottinger. This volume engages with the full range of her works, from the early Berlin feature films of the 1970s and '80s to the ethnographic documentaries, also including the art exhibitions, photography shows and installations. The book brings together feminist film theorists with art historians and cultural theorists, each with a distinctive and detailed perspective on the queer fabulist genres of Ottinger now in her eighties.
'This monumental collection of essays and commentaries, offers an essential tribute to Ottinger's importance. Accessible, enlightening and scholarly, this important book achieves two striking things: it demonstrates how contemporary Ottinger will always be and cements her legacy and reputation as one of the most significant and influential artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.'
Stella Bruzzi, FBA, dean of arts and humanities and professor of film studies, UCL, UK
'The wonderfully heterodox nature of Ulrike Ottinger's work is captured here by leading scholars from a number of fields, lending this collection of essays a prismatic quality. Paying homage to the variety of form, from film and photography to sculpture and installations, and always with an eye to artifice, what comes into focus above all else is Ottinger's unending romance with performance and provocation. Much more than a guide to Ottinger's prodigious output, although it serves that purpose too, this book provides a timely critical engagement with one of the most prolific and singular artists of our times.'
Janet Harbord, Queen Mary, University of London, UK
