The art of derision in the face of hatred of art
- Ariane Bilheran
- Sep 1
- 8 min read
Updated: Sep 15
La Licorne (The Unicorn) No. 19 by Ariane Bilheran, September 1, 2025.
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Some thirty years ago, while invoking Rabelais, the novelist Milan Kundera reminded us of the importance of linking art to derision. It is in the virtues of laughter and wit that art excels in the face of violence in all its forms, censorship, control, and totalitarian tendencies.
To apply this powerful remedy to our current situation, we must return to what is brilliant in Rabelais's work: a genius of non-seriousness, in the face of what Kundera calls "misomusia" ... or, again, the hatred of art.
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