The Visual Politics of Terror

The British artist Damien Hirst once referred to the 2001 attack on New York’s World Trade Center as “kind of an artwork in its own right." Today, Western governments, while able to describe in strategic terms the threat of the Islamic State, are still struggling to come to terms with its visual assault in the global media.

NEW YORK – The British artist Damien Hirst once referred to the 2001 attack on New York’s World Trade Center as “kind of an artwork in its own right. It was wicked, but it was devised in this way for this kind of impact. It was devised visually.” Now, 13 years later, Western governments, while able to describe in strategic terms the threat of the Islamic State to the Middle East, are still struggling to come to terms with its visual assault in the global media.

https://prosyn.org/Xz4X5Xe