The Swiss artist Thomas Hirschhorn has been at the frontline of the alternative art scene for the last 20 years, consistently disseminating the iconography and socio-economics of a capitalist culture in meltdown. His latest work Where Do I Stand? What Do I Want? published this month by Art Review, is both a radical left-wing manifesto and a window into the soul of an artist whose prolific output is an attempt, not only to define his place in the world, but also a call to arms for those sleeping souls who realise that the only questions they really need to address are those of a revolutionary nature. The dizzying volume of his overpowering visual assaults, and the unquestionable nature of his commitment, is what makes Hirschhorn both a convincing and profoundly important agent provocateur. "I don't want to work against chaos," he states with startling acuity. "I want to work within the chaos of the world... I need to keep my eyes open. I want to be sensitive to the time, and the reality of the world I am living in."
Where Do I Stand? What do I Want? is a fiercely intellectual yet entirely accessible collection of essays that chart a path of visual resistance, taking in everyone from Joseph Beuys, Alexandre Costanzo and Andy Warhol to Che Guevara. The overarching suggestion in this impressive offering is that the greatest tools of every true artist have their foundation in courage. Below is a passage from the book...

Eternal Flame

There is no reason for an artist to write about a philosopher just as there is no reason for a philosopher to write about an artist. As an artist I do not need philosophy because I do not use philosophy to make my work – I need philosophy as a man, as a human being. When, a few months ago, the young inhabitants of the housing projects in the suburbs of Paris and other large cities in France set cars on fire in front of their homes at night, they set off alarms, burning signals of distress. The young inhabitants of the suburbs in France relit the fires of equality – the fires of equality that had been extinguished, or that died out on their own, without anyone noticing. These fires are set at home – that means there's a big problem at home! On the outskirts of Paris, a movement of urgent anger reignited the flame of equality, and gave it universal visibility. Liberty. Equality. Fraternity. Liberty or death! Equality or death! Fraternity – or death!