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Beyond Critique: Contemporary Art in Theory, Practice, and Instruction
Critique has long been a central concept within art practice and theory. Since the emergence of Conceptual Art, artists have been expected by critics, curators, and art school faculty to focus their work on exposing and debunking ideologies of power and domination. Recently, however, the effectiveness of cultural critique has come into question. The appearance of concepts such as the "speculative," the "reparative," and the "constructive" suggests an emerging postcritical paradigm.
Beyond Critique takes stock of the current discourse around this issue. With some calling for a renewed criticality and others rejecting the model entirely, the book's contributors explore a variety of new and recently reclaimed criteria for contemporary art and its pedagogy. Some propose turning toward affect and affirmation; others seek to reclaim such allegedly discredited concepts as intimacy, tenderness, and spirituality. With contributions from artists, critics, curators and historians, this book provides new ways of thinking about the historical role of critique while also exploring a wide range of alternative methods and aspirations. Beyond Critique will be a crucial tool for students and instructors who are seeking to think and work beyond the critical.
Beyond Critique takes stock of the current discourse around this issue. With some calling for a renewed criticality and others rejecting the model entirely, the book's contributors explore a variety of new and recently reclaimed criteria for contemporary art and its pedagogy. Some propose turning toward affect and affirmation; others seek to reclaim such allegedly discredited concepts as intimacy, tenderness, and spirituality. With contributions from artists, critics, curators and historians, this book provides new ways of thinking about the historical role of critique while also exploring a wide range of alternative methods and aspirations. Beyond Critique will be a crucial tool for students and instructors who are seeking to think and work beyond the critical.
- GenresNonfiction
232 pages, Hardcover
Published April 6, 2017
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April 29, 2023
Like all collections of essays, this was hard to rate. I found some great and some not-so-great, but mostly this left me baffled - who is meant to be the target audience? Is it laypeople? Is it humanities students/teachers? Is it arts students/teachers? Is it just artists, in general?
For example: "For art schools to engage in an ethical and critical praxis, they need to redefine the project of critique in relation to its situated communities." Cool, okay, I agree. But then it goes on to just throw random words - Must Not Be Eurocentric, Must Use An Anti-racist And Queer Framework or whatever, but it never once elaborates. What would such a framework look like? And I always resent the use of 'eurocentric' as shorthand for 'serving those who either created or assimilated into whiteness in the USA'. Words mean things, etc. But my main point was: I'd expect this kind of essay to appear for something targeted at teens or just-turned-18s, considering their more specific education for the first time, not in a book about critique that has, supposedly, a readership that has critiqued and has received critique multiple times.
3 stars because there was quite a bit of interesting discussion in places, but I kept sitting there like 'tell me something I don't know', and I'm not an art student or instructor.
For example: "For art schools to engage in an ethical and critical praxis, they need to redefine the project of critique in relation to its situated communities." Cool, okay, I agree. But then it goes on to just throw random words - Must Not Be Eurocentric, Must Use An Anti-racist And Queer Framework or whatever, but it never once elaborates. What would such a framework look like? And I always resent the use of 'eurocentric' as shorthand for 'serving those who either created or assimilated into whiteness in the USA'. Words mean things, etc. But my main point was: I'd expect this kind of essay to appear for something targeted at teens or just-turned-18s, considering their more specific education for the first time, not in a book about critique that has, supposedly, a readership that has critiqued and has received critique multiple times.
3 stars because there was quite a bit of interesting discussion in places, but I kept sitting there like 'tell me something I don't know', and I'm not an art student or instructor.
Displaying 1 of 1 review