How Latitudes Become Forms: Art in the Global Age

by Philippe Vergne, Kathy Halbreich, Paulo Herkenhoff

The rise of globalism has created tremendous challenges to old economic, political, and cultural paradigms, changes that are increasingly reflected in diverse artistic practices across the planet. If disciplinary boundaries are now crossed as easily as geographic ones, how does the new internationalism that we are facing affect aesthetics and artistic production? Is there a link, for example, between the rise of video works and the global availability of digital media? Does the global information age facilitate an international language of art and an alternative reading of history, from art history toward art histories? From the perspective of a museum of modern and contemporary art--a purely European construct--the art institution has to overcome a major contradiction, one that exists between its mission of permanence and its mission of change. To invite and encourage such dialogue, How Latitudes Become Forms looks at current scholarship on globalism and changing curatorial practices, and identifies critical models provided by artists themselves, featuring thought-provoking essays and conversations by curators, critics, and cultural programmers from across the world, as well as multidisciplinary artworks by more than 40 artists from Brazil, China, India, Japan, South Africa, Turkey, and the United States. Including conversations with Cuauhtemoc Medina & Vasif Kortun, Kathy Halbreich & Vishakha Desai, Steve Dietz & Raqs Media Collective, Philip Bither, Baraka Sele and Philippe Vergne.

352 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

Philippe Vergne is the deputy director and chief curator at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.

Reviews

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is delicious. The content is an introspective look at the various types of art from various contexts: documentary, architectural structures, installation, and drawings. Some tidbits of interest to me were: minibar projections, soy sauce museum, and microevents that incorporate obscure film. The focus from this book seems to want its audience to examine principles of how, why, and what manifests from such experiences. I am a bit of a 'cultural anthropologist' and found myself looking beyond the pages for more details. The site online does not disappoint! The vast differing perspectives made this encapsulation of art/artists very intriguing. There are a number of projects highlighted in this book that are immersive and dynamic. This is a must if you favor the aforementioned in its many forms and facets.