ABSTRACT
This chapter address the question of creative subjectivity from the vantage point of cultural consumption. It traces debates associated with consumer culture theory on the construction of subjectivity. It shows also how consumption has been extrapolated to the exchange value of consumer labour. This chapter pays attention to the social aspect of ‘citizens-as-users’ to understand the power of organised social networks involving cultural consumers. Using Chinese site-specific art as an example, it argues that the politicisation of consumer culture can be socially transformative if both the artists and the consumers develop ‘fidelity’ towards the ‘artist critique’ embedded in the creative work. Participatory art practice illustrates how audience subjectification takes place through a continuous engagement with the ideal of self-fulfilment. This is the ‘truth process’ of cultural consumption, entailing searching and committing to an authentic way of being.
