Awards
2008 Art Journal Award
Simon Leung, “The Look of Law” (Fall 2007)
Simon Leung
The Art Journal Award for 2008 is presented to Simon Leung for his beautifully written essay “The Look of Law,” published in the Fall 2007 issue. While this piece ostensibly explains how Leung organized an eponymous exhibition at the University of California, Irvine, in 2006, it takes a number of unexpected twists and turns, yielding an essay that brings together discussions of war, vision, theory, and practice. Not only through the exhibition but also with his text, Leung explores the impact of war on vision and on affect. His essay powerfully demonstrates that affect can and should be considered as a form of understanding the condition of perpetual war that characterizes the present moment. Leung’s piece combines a profound understanding of the making and viewing of art with a theoretical sophistication that creates new theory rather than quotes familiar passages, providing unique insight and readerly pleasure. Only in this essay can one learn more about the philosopher Michel Foucault from the songwriter Burt Bacharach. The jury is particularly pleased that the distinctive nature of the essay reflects Art Journal at its best, working at the interface of contemporary theory and practice.
Jury: Nicholas Mirzoeff, New York University, chair; Steven Nelson, University of California, Los Angeles; Alexander Alberro, University of Florida.
