(GC2) Module Overview

Global Contemporary II

Photograph of Pure Land by Mariko Mori

Introduction

Global contemporary art is characterized by a transcendence of traditional conceptions of art and is supported by technological developments and global awareness. Digital technology in particular provides increased access to imagery and contextual information about diverse artists and artworks throughout history and across the globe. The art world has expanded and become more inclusive since the 1960s of artists of all nationalities, ethnicities, and sexual orientation. This activism has been supported by theories (e.g., deconstructionist, feminist, and poststructuralist) that critique perspectives on history and culture that claim universality but are in fact exclusionary.

Module Lessons Preview

In this module, we will study the following topics:

      • Why and how does art change?
      • How do we describe our thinking about art?
      • How does religion influence art and architecture?
      • How has art been utilized to foster political beliefs?
      • Is art a reflection of its culture or a force to form or shape culture?

Key Terms

In this module, we will study the following key terms:

  1. Deconstruction: Deconstruction is an analytical strategy developed in the late 20th century according to which all cultural "constructs" (art, architecture, literature) are "texts." People can read these texts in a variety of ways, but they cannot arrive at fixed or uniform meanings. Any interpretation can be valid, and readings differ from time to time, place to place, and person to person. For those employing this approach, deconstruction means destabilizing established meanings and interpretations while encouraging subjectivity and individual differences.
  2. Happenings: Happenings are a term coined by American artist Allan Kaprow in the 1960s to describe loosely structured performances whose creators were trying to suggest the aesthetic and dynamic qualities of everyday life; as actions, rather than objects, Happenings incorporate the fourth dimension (time).
  3. Installation: An installation is an artwork that creates an artistic environment in a room or gallery.
  4. Performance Art: Performance art is an American avant-garde art trend of the 1960s that made time an integral element of art. It produced works in which movements, gestures, and sounds of persons communicating with an audience replace physical objects. Documentary photographs are generally the only evidence remaining after these events.
  5. Postmodernism: Postmodernism is a reaction against modernist formalism, seen as elitist. Far more encompassing and accepting than the more rigid confines of modernist practice, postmodernism offers something for everyone by accommodating a wide range of styles, subjects, and formats, from traditional easel painting to installation and from abstraction to illusionistic scenes. Postmodern art often includes irony or reveals a self-conscious awareness on the part of the artist of the processes of art making or the workings of the art world.

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