In this book, British art historian, critic, and artist Julian Stallabrass assesses the phenomenon of 'Young Brit Art' of the 1990s (another name he gives to this movement is 'high art, version lite,' abbreviated as VIVO).
The author has attempted to acquaint a wide range of contemporary art lovers attracted by this new movement with the reasons why British art changed so radically at the end of the last century, and to provide the reader with the means for its analysis and criticism.
Stallabrass consistently examines the work of the main representatives of VIVO, young artists obsessed with commerce and mass media: Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Sarah Lucas, and others.