A Study of the Relationship Between Art and Problematization in the Thoughts of Michel Foucault

Problematization is an important concept in Foucault’s thoughts and one that plays a fundamental role throughout his historical analyzes. He sees problematization as a special interpretation of signs. On the other hand, in his analyzes, he equates the importance of art in interpreting history with other fields. The main issue of the present study is how the problematization in his thoughts is related to art. To address this issue, first the place of this concept in Foucault’s thought was examined and then with the help of the sections by which he has analyzed works of art, the relationship between art and this concept was examined. The result was that Foucault used the concept of problematization in two senses, In the first sense, it refers to a historical matter that has been problematized by knowledge and power, In the second sense for him, it is the problematization of a philosophical-historical activity by which “the history of present” is analyzed. Studies have shown that in his historical analysis, art as a strategy of knowledge or technique of power problematizes various issues. For Foucault, on the other hand, the analysis of some works of art is a philosophical activity to problematize the history of present. Accordingly, art has a direct and internal relationship with the two meaning of problematization.