On Ugliness
Edited by Umberto Eco
Translated from the Italian by Alastair McEwen
Maclehose Press Quercus London 2011

“Oh we're so pretty
Oh so pretty
We're vacant”
Sex Pistols 1977

It seems to me that through the ages humans are generally drawn to what is considered beautiful or aesthetically pleasing – especially in art.

The current obsession with repulsion in my own work has led me to ponder just why we consider some things to be ugly and unworthy. More and more I find myself rejecting vacuous beauty. The words of Johnny Rotten ring loud in my head.

On Ugliness exposes our curiosity with the ugly.

Umberto Eco attempts to reconstruct a history of ugliness by taking us on an incredible nightmare through the ages. All that is considered ugly is beautifully unraveled. Richly illustrated with madmen, demons, freaks and disturbing presences, this book is informative and highly thought provoking.

A fascinating read, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is over “the pretty”.

Sarina Lirosi

February 2012