David Ebony

It may seem an unlikely pairing of the academic and the exotic, but an examination of recent works by English critic and theorist Terry Eagleton and Brazilian sculptor and performance artist Tunga uncovers a lively correspondence centered on the notion of culture. From the point of view of a European insider like Eagleton, whose post-imperialist upbringing has been tempered by a Marxist stance, the South American artist, as a proponent or practitioner of New World culture, could represent the other. For Eagleton, Western Culture almost always refers to that found in certain nations of Western Europe. The anthropological antecedents of non-western culture, therefore, are in stark contrast to "Culture," as exemplified by British civility. In opposition, the artist from Rio de Janeiro might find the British writer to be steeped in civilization, yet completely lacking in culture, which, in post-modern terms, and according to Eagleton's own theory, is the exclusive domain of the other. In his recent book The Idea of Culture, Eagleton elaborates upon Fredric Jameson's argument that culture is always "an idea of the Other (even when I reassume it for myself)."¹

Tunga (born Antonio Jose de Barros Carvahlo e Mello Mourão, 1952), and Eagleton (born 1943) are, of course, well respected in their fields. Each has already made a formidable contribution to the understanding and development of culture. The Oxford University professor's books on literary theory and aesthetics have marked their time, while the Boss Prize 2000 nominee's hairy rituals and magnetic monuments have inspired a generation of artists in his homeland and abroad. It is fitting, therefore, that the writer and artist, in recent works, have endeavored to explore culture itself. In the process, they succeed in redefining what culture is and what it does.

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Art: Cabelo performing with Tunga's, Sulfur, Charcoal and Salt, 2000
Courtesy: the artist and Luhring-Augustine Gallery, NY

1. Eagleton, Terry, The Idea of Culture, , Malden: Mass., Blackwell, 2000, p. 26.

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