Two Books Probe the Aesthetics and Politics of Globalized Art
Two 2010 publications examine the global art world from different angles. Nicolas Bourriaud's 'Radicant: Pour une esthétique de la globalisation' (Denoël) critiques the ambiguous multiculturalism of the capitalist art market and proposes an 'altermodern' aesthetics based on nomadic, postproduction practices. Meanwhile, Hans Belting and Andrea Buddensieg's edited volume 'The Global Art World: Audiences, Markets and Museums' (Hatje Cantz), produced by ZKM, documents the rise of contemporary art museums worldwide and argues that global art is no longer defined by Western hegemony. Belting compares its development to the internet and poses two forward-looking questions about the Middle East's impact on contemporary art and vice versa. The review by Jérôme Lebrun in art press notes tensions in Bourriaud's dismissal of postcolonial theory and his reliance on translation and codes.
Key facts
- Nicolas Bourriaud's 'Radicant' was published by Denoël in 2010.
- Hans Belting and Andrea Buddensieg edited 'The Global Art World' for Hatje Cantz.
- The ZKM (Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe) produced the Belting/Buddensieg volume.
- Bourriaud critiques the art market's 'diffuse ideology' of multiculturalism.
- He proposes 'altermodernity' as a mode of artistic postproduction.
- Belting notes that many countries now have multiple contemporary art museums.
- Belting compares the global art world's expansion to the internet.
- Belting asks how contemporary art will affect the Middle East and vice versa in the next ten years.
Entities
Artists
- Nicolas Bourriaud
- Hans Belting
- Andrea Buddensieg
- Jérôme Lebrun
- Peter Weibel
Institutions
- art press
- Denoël
- Hatje Cantz
- ZKM (Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe)
Sources
- artpress —