Article Summary
Kerstin Stakemeier's essay 'Epic Fantasies: An Introduction to Fantasies of the People' examines the role of 'fantasy' in the writings of German feminist Lu Märten (1879–1970). Stakemeier situates Märten’s concept within a historical-materialist framework, tracing how artistic imagination intersects with labor, everyday forms, and political praxis. The piece engages with Märten’s own texts (including writings from 1903 and 1924) and dialogues with thinkers such as Günther K. Lehmann, Sigmund Freud, Stefano Harney and Fred Moten, Anselm Franke, and recent scholarship to reconsider origins, intimacy, and non-sensuous standards in aesthetic theory. All translations in the article are by the author.
Why It Matters
It reframes historical-materialist and feminist approaches to imagination and labour in art writing, useful for Tate’s research, interpretation, and curatorial narratives.
Institution Context
Tate maintains a growing collection of British and international art, plus archives of sketchbooks, letters and photographic material, and publishes artworks, films and research on its website; its supporting commercial arm, Tate Enterprises, channels profits from Tate Eats, Tate Commerce and Tate Business back to the gallery.
Publication Context
The supplied context contains no substantive information about e‑flux.com; it only includes a DFG METS profile excerpt and museum object records referencing Musée du quai Branly–Jacques Chirac, Musée de l'Armée, and related institutions.
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