Parafiction
Parafiction is a term used in contemporary art, literature, and performance to describe works that blur the boundary between fact and fiction by presenting invented material in the guise of documentary, historical, or factual truth. The prefix para- (meaning “beside” or “alongside”) highlights the way parafictional works operate in parallel to reality, creating spaces where fictional narratives can be mistaken for, or deliberately intermixed with, non-fictional accounts.
Characteristics
Parafictional strategies often involve fabricated archives, fictional personas, or invented institutions presented with the formal authority of factual media such as journalism, museum displays, or scientific research. These works typically rely on the audience’s uncertainty about what is real and what is fabricated, provoking reflection on trust, authenticity, and the construction of knowledge.
Origins and use
The concept has been discussed in art criticism since the late 20th century, with critics such as Carrie Lambert-Beatty identifying parafiction as a distinct artistic mode. It is associated with postmodern skepticism toward truth claims, documentation, and institutional authority. While the term is most commonly used in the context of visual and performance art, it has also been applied to literature and media studies.
Parafiction can be linked to longer traditions of absurdism, surrealism, and pastiche in Europe, particularly in the cultural history of the Low Countries, even prior to the establishment of Belgium in 1830. Artists such as René Magritte introduced surrealist strategies that destabilized the distinction between representation and reality, while later figures expanded this into overtly parafictional practices. Marcel Broodthaers, for example, created the fictitious Musée d’Art Moderne, Département des Aigles (1968–72), a museum-without-collection that mimicked institutional authority while questioning the role of museums. Panamarenko constructed elaborate flying machines and vehicles presented with the appearance of scientific rigor, though never intended to function. These works situate Belgian parafiction within a broader lineage of absurdist and surrealist experimentation in the region.
Elsewhere in Europe, artists such as Joan Fontcuberta (Spain), known for his fabricated zoological and space-travel archives, and collectives such as Neue Slowenische Kunst (Slovenia), have used parafictional strategies to interrogate political, scientific, and historical narratives.
Examples
- The Yes Men, activist artists known for impersonating corporate and governmental entities in public settings
- Walid Raad and the Atlas Group, which presents fictional archives of the Lebanese civil wars
- Mark Dion, whose museum-style installations combine authentic specimens with fabricated histories
- Joan Fontcuberta, Spanish photographer and essayist, noted for parafictional scientific projects
- Marcel Broodthaers, Belgian artist who founded the fictitious Musée d’Art Moderne, Département des Aigles
- Panamarenko, Belgian artist creating parafictional machines and vehicles
Relation to autofiction
Although both parafiction and autofiction involve blending fact and fiction, their focus differs. Autofiction explores the instability of personal identity by fictionalizing autobiography, while parafiction interrogates the credibility of institutions, histories, and collective narratives.