Arguing for the necessity of taking art’s contribution to contemporary realism seriously, this edited collection intervenes in contemporary debates about realism by demonstrating that the arts do not simply illustrate philosophical theories. The significance of art’s realism in times characterised by the normalisation of fake, manipulated and distorted representations of reality can only be fully understood by attending to the ways that the arts mediate, visualise and even shape reality. Drawing on a range of disciplinary perspectives, the authors interrogate realism across media, from sound art, film, literature, and painting to video installation and scientific imaging.