Viewing Strategies. A Contribution to the Political Elements of Postmodern Art Cover Image

Strategije gledanja. Prilog o političkim elementima postmoderne umjetnosti
Viewing Strategies. A Contribution to the Political Elements of Postmodern Art

Author(s): Katarina Rukavina
Subject(s): Gender Studies, Aesthetics, Recent History (1900 till today), Marxism, 19th Century, Sociology of Art
Published by: Hrvatsko Filozofsko Društvo
Keywords: avant-garde; interactive art; participatory art; modernism; postmodernism; audience;

Summary/Abstract: The paper explores the model of sociability, interaction and participation as political elements of postmodern art. The postmodern condition emerged after the failure of the main idea of modernism, which was based on the belief in the progress and emancipation of humanity, namely, after the collapse of large speculative narratives such as idealism, scientism, Marxism or a utopia of changing the world through art. Not surprisingly, therefore, the principal thesis in it is that art no longer has the role attributed to it since the 19th century, the one of political struggle, criticism of society or social engagement, namely, it no longer has the function of criticism, of something that acts as a warning and is avant-gardly opposed to everything that exists. Contrary to this view, this paper seeks to present the critical and political potential of postmodern art, focusing on post-1990s artistic practice and its emphasis on relationships, encounters and interaction with audiences. It is an appropriation of avant-garde strategies, but with a historical distance and in a different context.

  • Issue Year: 41/2021
  • Issue No: 03/163
  • Page Range: 549-564
  • Page Count: 16
  • Language: Croatian