Circus Americanus

by Ralph Rugoff

Circus Americanus is a riotous excursion through America’s changing visual landscape. Exploring its remote corners and bizarre byways, Ralph Rugoff takes us on a tour of theme park slums and mystical police cars, futurist war and the “aesthetics of safe chaos.” With an idiosyncratic eye for detail, he maps a culture in which “reality” has become just another theme, revealing an America much stranger than the glamorous kitsch of its surfaces. Whether he is writing about Las Vegas casinos, forensic cartoons, the enigma of Napoleon’s preserved penis or the aesthetics of sewage treatment, Rugoff considers everyday marvels with a concern for how we live together in a world beyond belief.

Genres: Cultural Studies

216 pages, Paperback

First published November 17, 1995

Reviews

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book of essays on some of the weirder aspects of modern American culture, mostly in Los Angeles in particular. Rugoff visits museums, attends air shows, watches TV, and meets with several genuinely odd people to produce this entertaining collection. I was glad to read this because it let me enjoy some of the unique things LA has to offer without actually having to visit it (I hate cities in general, and the idea of going to a car-obsessed, smoggy, hot one full of plastic people doesn't float my boat).

This book is also great because Ralph Rugoff's name sounds like it's being said by a cartoon dog. Ralph Rugoff. Rat's right.

[Tosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ralph Rugoff, who is now the head director at the Hayward Gallery in London used to write essays about 'odd' culture that borders on art. It's very ironic that he's in London because he's very American in a Mark Twain way. In fact he reminds me of Twain. He has a very biting wit and super enjoyable to read. i am not sure if this book is in print, but of course it should be. And I am hoping that Ralph is also writing in between exhibitions, etc.