Description

“Greater than only a tale of an abiding cultural preoccupation, The Longing For Less peels again the commodified husk of minimalism to expose one thing sudden and carefully alive.” -Jenny Odell, writer of How to Do Nothing

“Considerate and soaking up . . . A superior day out from a talented younger critic as a way to spark pleasure in lots of readers.” –Kirkus Opinions, starred review

“Much less is extra”: In all places we listen the chant. Marie Kondo and different decluttering professionals promise that losing our stuff will resolve our issues. We decide to cleanse diets and attempt for inbox 0. Amid the frantic percent and distraction of on a regular basis lifestyles, we covet silence-and ethereal, Instagrammable areas by which to experience it. The preferred time period for this logo of upscale austerity, “minimalism,” has most commonly come to face for issues to shop for and devour. However minimalism has richer, deeper, and altogether extra useful items to provide.

Kyle Chayka is one among our sharpest cultural observers. After spending years masking minimalist tendencies for top guides, he now delves underneath this way of life’s shiny floor, in the hunt for higher how one can declare the time and area we crave. He displays that our eager for Much less is going again additional than we notice. His seek leads him to the philosophical and non secular origins of minimalism, and to the tales of artists corresponding to Agnes Martin and Donald Judd; composers corresponding to John Cage and Julius Eastman; architects and architects; visionaries and misfits. As Chayka appears anew at their peculiar lives and explores the puts the place they labored-from Long island lofts to the Texas top wilderness and the again alleys of Kyoto-he reminds us that what we such a lot require is presence, now not absence. The result’s a sublime new synthesis of our minimalist wants and our profound emotional wishes.