Through a rigorous historical and critical review, Claire Bishop traces the complex history of the so-called participatory art, that is, of the arts limited to the social field, whose raw material is other people. Unlike previous studies, "Artificial Hells" explores the wide range of cutting-edge theatrical experiments as a direct antecedent to these forms of artistic practice, and questions why they have found shelter in the visual arts. This and other questions resonate throughout the book, where the aesthetic and political ambitions of such practices are scrutinized, as well as the ethical criteria unleashed in their analysis. From Italian futurism and mass entertainment in revolutionary Russia to contemporary manifestations of performance through Dadaism, French 68, Argentine conceptualism, discrete and almost imperceptible actions in Eastern Europe and the community arts of the United Kingdom, Bishop tackles with strong theoretical anchorage the demands and promises of democracy and emancipation linked to these forms of art. At the same time, it places the viewer at the center of this discussion - be it a random pedestrian or a member of disadvantaged social groups to reflect on the different relationships that are created with or imposed on her.