Contemporary Art: 1989 to the Present

by Alexander Dumbadze (Editor), Alexander Dumbadze (Editor)

An engaging account of today’s contemporary art world that features original articles by leading international art historians, critics, curators, and artists, introducing varied perspectives on the most important debates and discussions happening around the world.

Features a collection of all-new essays, organized around fourteen specific themes, chosen to reflect the latest debates in contemporary art since 1989 Each topic is prefaced by an introduction on current discussions in the field and investigated by three essays, each shedding light on the subject in new and contrasting ways Topics globalization, formalism, technology, participation, agency, biennials, activism, fundamentalism, judgment, markets, art schools, and scholarship International in scope, bringing together over forty of the most important voices in the field, including Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy, David Joselit, Michelle Kuo, Raqs Media Collective, and Jan Verwoert A stimulating guide that will encourage polemical interventions and foster critical dialogue among both students and art aficionados

Genres: Art History, Art

512 pages, Paperback

First published December 4, 2012

Reviews

[Alexander Debkaliuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found content of this compilation particularly not engaging for a casual reader of art theory literature. Some essays are good, but overall package is just not for me.

[Chris Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a mixed bag - some contributions I benefitted from, some I didn't. Some were unnecessarily difficult.

[Alicia]

a helpful starting place? but i don’t think the contributions to this book will end up in my reading list or research in a more substantial way than other articles or books by its authors

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contemporary Art: 1989 to the Present, edited by Alexander Dumbadze and Suzanne Hudson, is another anthology on contemporary art and its issues and ideas. It is a good anthology if one is only interested in biennials, art markets, globalization, and current art movements such as relational aesthetics and art and activism in our current era. But it lacks any in depth discussion of postcolonialism -- with the rare exception if the author of an essay is from, and discussing, a non-Western country -- feminism, queer and critical race studies -- or identity (or identification) politics of any kind -- at most this is only a surface, or passing, discussion (better, to say, a mention).
I will be having an in depth review of this anthology published in CAA Review. So, ...