ambivalent work*s presents case studies, close- and against-the-grain readings of art works across different media and geographies, conversations on the epistemological and methodological frameworks of a queerly-informed art history, and artistic contributions. Together they revisit central aspects such as visibility, failure, transgression and subversion in recent art production while at the same time providing valuable links for transhistorical explorations. The book highlights queerness in visual and material culture with regard to the specific conditions of the making and experience of art in different cultural, sociopolitical, and historical contexts. Making a case for polyvalence and simultaneity, ambivalent work*s demonstrates how intersectional approaches extend the examination of queer capacities in art and art history beyond issues related solely to sexuality and gender. Scholarly and artistic articulations equally push the boundaries of the academic field of art history while giving shape to an (im)possible project of a “queer art history.”

With contributions by Daniel Berndt, Jennifer Doyle, Aleksandra Gajowy, David J. Getsy, Susanne Huber, Katrin Köppert, Christian Liclair, Renate Lorenz, Fiona McGovern, Diyi Mergenthaler, Lucas Odahara, Rena Onat, Barbara Paul, and Ashkan Sepahvand.