What forms does withdrawal—meaning either that which withdraws itself or which is being withdrawn—take in artistic and cultural practices? What movements does it create or follow in specific contexts, and with what theoretical, material, and political consequences? The contributors to this book address these questions in a variety of writing practices, each focusing on specific scenes.

Through interviews, artistic and literary texts, visual contributions, and academic texts, On Withdrawal explores various modalities of withdrawal, ranging from a silencing of critical voices to a political and aesthetic strategy of refusal.