الفن المعاصر : مقدمة قصيرة جداً

Very Short Introductions #146

by Julian Stallabrass, مروة عبد الفتاح شحاتة (ترجمة)

دمى على هيئة جنود ملطخة بالدماء، وعربات تَسوُّق مطلية بالذهب، ومعسكرات اعتقال بمكعبات الليجو! هذا هو عالم الفن المعاصر، وهو عالم من المفترض أن يكون متسعًا للحرية؛ حيث يصدم الفنانون جماهيرهم، ويخرقون المحظورات، ويتنقلون بين مواجهة الجمهور بأعمال تتدرج من العمق الشديد حتى التفاهة التي تفغر لها الأفواه. ولكن بعيدًا عن الأساليب الصادمة في المعارض، ثمة أسئلة عديدة في انتظار الإجابة عليها: مَنْ يدير حقًّا عالم الفن؟ وما التأثير الذي تُخلفه الهيمنة السياسية والثقافية الأمريكية المتزايدة على الفن؟

تُمثِّل هذه المقدمة القصيرة جدًّا الرائعة والمثيرة للجدل رحلة لاستكشاف مشهد الفن العالمي من شأنها أن تُغير الطريقة التي تنظر بها إلى الفن المعاصر.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Art History, History, Theory, Audiobook, Cultural Studies

150 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Julian Stallabrass is an English art historian, photographer and curator. He was educated at Leighton Park School and New College, Oxford University where he studied PPE. A Marxist, he has written extensively on contemporary art (including internet art), photography and the history of twentieth century British art.

Reviews

[Anton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part is your father explaining why you shouldn't go to art school, the second part is your brother justifying his having dropped out of college to curate his tumblr.

[Deniz Cem Önduygu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book but a terrible Very Short Introduction for people who aren't already familiar with the art world because – I later found out – it is a reprint of Art Incorporated: The Story of Contemporary Art. As the original title suggests, the book is written from the perspective of economy and can become somewhat narrow-minded at times when Stallabrass's Marxism shines through the text, but overall it's a powerful and mind-opening read on one important aspect of contemporary art.

[Vasile Rotaru · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a surprisingly good book if you don't mind a Marxist critique of the contemporary art or, rather, the contemporary business of art. It is, of course, a terrible introduction to the subject and has nothing to do in the Oxford Very Short Introduction series, at least not with this neutral title (in fact, this book is a shorter version of Stallabrass' "Art incorporated"). You will not find any description and analysis of the philosophy of contemporary art, of the most important movements and artists. Instead, you will find here a very strong and well explained critique of the happy marriage between art and neoliberal corporate interests, of the ideological hypocrisy of artists and curators, and of the highly centralized, controlled and censored art world in general. From this point of view, Stallabrass does a tremendous job.

If you start reading it, don't be discouraged by the first 20 pages of introduction, which is too complex for a novice and could make you feel like you walked right into the middle of an open war. You can read it in the end. This would make much more sense.

[ود · Rating 2 out of 5]

نشرت هذه المقدمه في2006 وأجزم (وان كنت غير خبيره في هذا المجال) أن الكثير الكثير قد تغير خاصه في ظل التأثير الغير محدود لوسائل التواصل الاجتماعي وظهور فنانين شباب لا يبالون بأي من العوامل التي قد تناولها الكاتب التي تبدو كحقائق متكلفه تتداول في جلسه عجائز حاصلين على تعليم مكلف أثناء تدخينهم الغليون.

لا تقرأ بالضبط ما تتوقعه عند النظر الي العنوان" مقدمه في الفن المعاصر" فهي مقدمه تحتاج الى مقدمه وليست بالضبط عن الفن المعاصر كفن انما علاقه الفن المعاصر بالاقتصاد وتأثير السوق والعولمه والحسابات السياسيه واستغلال الفنانين الهامهم من المعاناه والمعذبين لتسويقها لمن يستمتع بها من جالبي المعاناه (النخب والبرجوازيين من جامعي التحف)

يمكن اعاده تسميته " الفن المعاصر من وجهة نظر ماركسيه"

" موضحًا أن الفن ما وُجِد إلا ليحقق النجاح في عالم الإعلام وفي السوق فقط."

- " في الفن العالمي المتميز، تُستعرض الهويات من أجل ترفيه المشاهدين الدوليين. إن
ملامح التمازج الثقافي والتهكم والعرض الصريح للهوية أمور تبعث على الراحة لدى
المشاهد الغربي الذي لا يشعر بالطمأنينة لفكرة الاختلاف إلا إذا لم يكن هو الآخر في
واقع الأمر"

وفي حين أن قضية انفصال الفن عن الثقافة السلعية أو دمجه معها لها تاريخ" -
طويل، إبان التسعينيات كان هناك تكثيف للقوى المعنية، كثير منها سمات قديمة
للرأسمالية، ساهمت في غلبة الثقافة الاستهلاكية المنتصرة ليس على الفن فقط بل أيضًا
على كافة أنماط الإنتاج الثقافي الأخرى."

لا يزال الفن المعاصر يعرِّف نفسه بوصفه مقابل الثقافة الجماهيرية، وهذا أمر"-
ضروري؛ نظرًا لأنه يتجنب الإنتاج الجماهيري الذي يملك تأثيرًا أبعد على موضوعه."

لم تؤثر الموجات الاقتصادية على حجم الأعمال الفنية التي بيعت فحسب، بل أيضًا"-
على طابعها."

[Steven Felicelli · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wanted to get caught up on what's happening now (as opposed to even 8 years ago - things are so in flux in the art world) and got a Marxian lecture on late capitalism instead.

I know the market has become paramount in the Art World, but Stallabrass would have you believe the artist of today has no concerns outside it--that not a thought, idea, quale, or insight could ever penetrate their market-driven minds. I'm not sure there's a single word in this book about Art or Artists.

I've been drifting toward a Marxian perspective for decades (since Grad School where Marx imposes himself in English Departments across the world), but Stallabrass' tendentious, gray take on Contemporary Art reminded me of how dismal a worldview you have to have to think, view, feel (do you feel?) as a Marxist.

[Micaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many other have stated, this is not an introduction. I imagine that this would be a great read for someone whos already intrested in contemporary art and wants another perspective on it. This book focuses on the more political and economic side of contemporary art, something which would be more intresting if the author at times wasn’t biased. In general, the language of this book and how it’s written is quite hard to get into at first however I did enjoy multiple parts of it and it will come to use in my education.

[Ilya Melititskiy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really an introduction. rather an interesting (although too leftist and therefore biased) critical account of the state of contemporary art. Told mostly from the perspective of money, globalization and politics, but that seems to be the best way to talk about the subject. Shed some light on (and justified) some of my uncertainties and doubts about it all.

[Adam Hasan]

DNF.

Came for the art, left because of the communism.

[هبه عيسى · Rating 2 out of 5]

في بدايته تشويق ، معلومات بديهية لكن الكتاب بلورها ، باستطاعتي كفنانة استنتاج كل ما ذُكر من خلال زياراتي للمعارض ومتابعتي للفن العالمي ، لم يعجبني في الكتاب سوى جزء فلسفي راق لي فلخصته ، حول سبب اجتماع المكان والعمل الفني لتكوين ملحمة ، وان هذا التجهيز في الفراغ يشمل رؤى متكاملة لخلق عالم له ميتافيزيقيا ما ،اعجبتني فكرة الفنانة فلخصتها هنا
" دوريس سالسيدو ، فنانة كولومبية تصنع تماثيلا من قطع الأثاث التي تركها أشخاص اختفوا في الحرب الأهلية في بلادها
كتدرائية جايلز جلبرت سكوت الإنجيلية بليڤربول ، تم تجديدها بشكل خال من الزخارف التي تعكس أثر التاريخ عليها ، جددت بتجريدية وجدران صماء تماما ، تركت جرداء بدون اثار العتاقة والقدم ، وتم وضع اعمالدوريس سالسيدو فيها لسبب
ان الكتدرائية تم تشييدها منذ سبعون عاما وشهدت حربين عالميتين ، الكراسي والطاولات كانت بمثابة نعوش خشبية وكراسي اعتراف هذا الجمع بين الموقع والعمل الفني أثرى احدهما الاخر وصنع ملحمة ، المعرض كان بعنوان " اقتفاء أثر "

[Keen Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars!

This has got some really good stuff in it, Stallabrass does a fine job of peeling away a lot of the pretentiousness of the art world to engage with it in a meaningful and adult way which is highly accessible as well as being entertaining and engaging.

We get into a lot of compelling areas, whether it be government sanctioned dissent within a narrow, controlled framework, to the fall of communism and the rise of neo-liberalism and how they collectively impact on the global perception of art and the market place for it. The growth of museums worldwide and the emergence of various biennials around the world during the 90s, as more cities try to sell themselves as global cities of cultural significance, and how most of them are rarely aimed at their city of origin, but instead appeal to a small, global elite.

Also discussed is the collapse of the market in 1989 after the 1980s boom, both aided in large part to the Japanese and more than a little money laundering etc. The forever uncomfortable relationship with the corporate world is talked about, like those charming people at Philip Morris, who threatened to withdraw all their arts funding when the city of New York proposed an anti-smoking legislation. So this definitely fulfills all the basic aims and makes for good reading.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oxford University Press clearly had fun with one, picking Stallabrass' Marxist-influenced critique of the 2000s global art market Art Incorporated: The Story of Contemporary Art and republishing it as this "very short introduction." As a plethora of reviews have noted, this is not the book if you're looking for a quick and easy read, a directory of who's who in the art world, or an objective explanation of recent trends and practices. This is for the very talented landscape painter who sees the Koons retrospective at the Whitney and wonders how art got to this point. This is for the DIY artist with "punk-rock ethos" who sees Hugo Boss sponsoring shows at the Guggenheim and wonders where this partnership came from, and what it means for the future of boundary-pushing, used-to-be-called-avant-garde art. This is for someone who is curious, while also prepared for cynicism.

Stallabrass tends to zoom out, focusing on how global economies and capitalist markets have propelled certain art trends to the forefront, while also commenting on the growing art market bubble. Who is contemporary art's audience? Who are its patrons? Again, Stallabrass answers through a leftist lens.

Very worthwhile, if a little dizzying and soul crushing.

[Alaa · Rating 1 out of 5]

it feels like I've walked into a war zone without any alert.
since this book is part of series the author assured in the beginning that this book can stand on its own, but he started right away with "Monopoly of the arts" and the new global art oder. ..
just too judgmental and not what I was looking for.

[ریچارد · Rating 2 out of 5]

بیشتر فکر میکردم کتابیه که باید برای یک نفر که نمیدونه هنر معاصر چیه توضیحش میده، اما کتاب برای کسی که تا حد زیادی در جریانه که در هنر معاصر چه اتفاقاتی افتاده و چه جریاناتی وجود داره، از دیدگاه بازار توضیحاتی میده که نمیدونم برای فرد آگاه به هنر معاصر جالبه یا خیر

[Xavier · Rating 1 out of 5]

First of all, the title of this book should be changed to ‘a Marxist’s critique on the contemporary art market’

[Fatima Sheriff · Rating 4 out of 5]

will definitely highlight and return to this but long overdue after working at a contemporary art gallery for over a year - touches on so much of what I dwell on: art and fashion, proliferation of merch, participation and activation, use of eclectic materials, political protest, social media, digital art, retrospective correction for lack of diversity etc etc

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Indeed, a very short introduction. It gives an interesting academic perspective on the rise of postmodern art. Sometimes a bit too critical without discussing more possible perspectives, the book gives a good account of the rise and challenges of the contemporary art world.

[Astrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for class. Stayed for the Marxist analysis of contemporary art and markets.

[Leif Eastburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based

[Martin Ridgway · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on contemporary art: it's a side-kick, parasite on global capitalism.
Not the angle I was expecting but then he was quoting Chomsky very early on and Marks and Engels a lot. I remain to be convinced but at least it wasn't just a glorification of "edgy", pretentious self-expression.
Worth reading for the unusual approach.

[Joaquim · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an interesting book... But it's no "short introduction". And although the grip of maket forces upon art is well explained, the author is far too lefty to give a more objective account of the subject

[Mazen Alloujami · Rating 3 out of 5]

يحاول المؤلف تلخيص أفكار وتيارات ومؤثرات الفن المعاصر، وقد ينجح في ذلك دون الإلمام بكافة نواحي هذا الفن. الكتاب جيد لكن الترجمة العربية تفتقر للسلاسة والجمال كما أنها تتطلب الكثير من التركيز لمعرفة ما يراد قوله.

[Napalmlolita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Focuses too much on the relationship between art and economics instead of showing us the actual art.

[Latifa Almutairi · Rating 4 out of 5]

اختلافات حول مبدأ الفن المعاصر وماذا يُقصد به؟ من أبدع بإستخدامه ومن أساء؟ مع ذكر زوايا مهمه في حياة أكبر الفنانين والنقاد، مقدمه تستحق القراءة.

[Sam Yao · Rating 4 out of 5]

a bit difficult for me without any art background to read.

[M Pereira · Rating 4 out of 5]

For context, I've immediately read beforehand the VSI for Art History and Literary theory and this chapter probably wouldn't have made sense had I not read those.

Contemporary art fills in the gap that Art History VSI left, of the present day, of the economy, social influences, politics and theoretical perspectives of art as presently (or up to about 2006) construed. Art and neoliberalism, artistic media changing - beyond print and sculpture and even performance art, new media of art emerging. Insights of Adorno, Modernism, postmodernism, and the neoliberal economy and cultural order and how they relate to the art world. The role of audiences, place and even the indefinability of art or its relationship to democracies.

This is genuinely a book that has me confused but in a good way. A bad way of being confused is the Literary Theory VSI. Now the literary theory VSI made me think: how does this relate to literature, but after reading it, I see that theory relates beyond literature and has much import on something like this topic of contemporary art. Almost as if these titles should be read in relationship with each other.

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an outstanding overview of contemporary art, written by a forensic critic of it, Julian Stallabrass - a member of the New Left Review editorial committee. His essays for NLR are also well worth reading, especially his memorably brutal analysis of Damien Hirst. An essential complement to this book is Patrick Radden Keefe's recent New Yorker profile of the art mega-dealer Larry Gagosian, who emblematises so many of the trends Stallabrass criticises in the book. But the book is more than just a polemic: it's a well-researched history of contemporary art since the 1980s, analysing its interrelationship with the global economy (especially via the super rich but also via competition between major cities), the proliferation of biennials and art fairs, the function of the major galleries and museums, and the development of a more oppositional, political art since the 2008 financial crisis.

[José · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very little aspects of the title are actually correct - this is not really A Very Short Introduction, nor is it about Contemporary Art (at least per si). Julian Stallabrass does a fine work at illustrating (from a declaredly marked Marxist perspective) the modern inner workings of economics of the art world and how they shaped contemporary art production, with very captivating examples from across the world.

It is a very good book if you do not mind the left-leaning commentary. If you are the type of person who thinks Bernie Sanders is a socialist demon you will probably not be a big fan of what Julian Stallabrass.

[Nels Highberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Of course, the Very Short Introductions cannot cover everything, and they are supposed to be shaped by the perspectives of the author. But I felt like this one was very specific yet also vague. There were quick references that moved on to other references. When I am typically done with a VSI, I have a few random tidbits and trivia stuck in my mind. I can't remember anything specific from this one. I have lots of highlights to remind me of a few things worth exploring, but it just didn't really stick for me.

[Mohammad Sadegh Alizadeh · Rating 3 out of 5]

کوتاه و کاربردی در تشریح اینکه هنر معاصر با لمیدن بر ساحل و کرانهٔ بازار نئولیبرال از یکسو و تنافر با فرهنگ توده از سوی دیگر چگونه به بخشی از چیدمان اقتصاد نئولیبرال تبدیل شده. در حقیقت بخش اعظم کتاب به خدمات متقابل سرمایه‌داری نئولیبرال و هنر معاصر می‌پردازد. مدعای نویسنده آن است که مهم‌ترین کبّادۀ هنر که آزادی آن باشد در گذشته با استقلال از بورژوازی و اقتصاد حاصل شده بود حال آنکه روح هنر معاصر با هر دوی اینها گره خورده و آنچنان شده که افتد و دانید.

[Trizia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know that these are Oxford small introductions. But in my opinion, I don’t think that this was in any way an introduction. For me an introduction must be written in an approachable manner. Maybe it is because English isn’t my first language that I struggled a lot. But I thought that because I study art it would be more understandable.
Maybe I will reread it in the future in hopes that I will understand it better.