This provocative book subjects contemporary transgressive art to a rigorous ethical exploration. Accused by the tabloid press of setting out to ""shock"", controversial artworks such as those in the infamous Sensation show--which in 1999 prompted New York Mayor Giuliani’s outrage--are vigorously defended by art critics who frequently downplay their disturbing emotional impact. Yet in doing so, Cashell argues, these commentators actually fail to understand the work they defend. Scrutinizing notorious works by Damien Hirst, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Sally Mann, Robert Mapplethorpe, Marcus Harvey, Orlan, Tracey Emin and others, Cashell maintains not only that such work produces a visceral, emotional and ""ethical"" response--but that it actively sets out to do so.