Title:

The Drumhead

Author:Gerry Bibby
Editor:Natasha Soobramanien
Year: 2014
Keyword:Artist’s Book, Fiction, Novel, Paperback
Publisher:Sternberg Press
Location:Amsterdam, Berlin
ISBN:978-3-95679-065-2
Link:

On May 21, 2013, the French right-wing activist and blogger, Dominique Venner, shot himself in the head at the altar of the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. His choice to end his life was intended as a demonstration against homosexuality in the public realm. It was also the onset of Gerry Bibby’s investigation into, his writing about, and our conversations, concerning the dark delusions and homophobia ignited by animated conservative politics in Europe.
We meet Gina, a performance artist facing the truths about her audience, ultimately leading her to an ecstatic reality—webs within webs, bodies within bodies. And, in the Genittal House, we encounter Guy, a police agent infiltrating political subculture.
The Drumhead inaugurates a world of pure presence—(un)scrupulously amalgamating sexual politics, right-wing deliriums, and contemporary art. With all its obscurities and anxieties, this novel represents Bibby’s ultimate artistic statement.
—Henrik Olesen

The bastard offspring of J.G. Ballard and Severo Sarduy. Consecrated within a novel religion under the (anti-) autho-
rity of goddess Kathy Acker.
—Gregg Bordowitz

Written in just six months, in six cities, in the space between three shows, The Drumhead is an urgent, furious and poetic response to the state we’re in. Drawing on news articles, training manuals, scientific reports and the influence of other radical writers, Bibby distills these texts to offer us something utterly compelling.
—Natasha Soobramanien