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Entanglements. The Politics of Aesthetics and Retelling of Modernisms and Modern Art

15.11. - 16.11.2024

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Date

15.11. - 16.11.2024

Time

10am - 7pm

Location

Kunsthaus Graz, Space04

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About the
Event

Within the conference’s scope, we examine the foundational concepts of modernity through the theoretical perspectives of postcolonial theory and decolonial thinking. These viewpoints are dedicated to uncovering the imperialist and colonialist implications ingrained in Western notions of modernity

Department of Arts and Musicology, Section 'Center of Contemporary Art', University of Graz & Strange Tools Research Lab of the University of Cincinnati

 

Concept: Sabine Flach, Katrin Nahidi

Program, 15.11.2024
Program, 16.11.2024

Decolonial thinking

As Walter Mignolo aptly stated, "there cannot be modernity without coloniality."[1] Decolonial thinking views modernity not as a concrete entity or historical epoch but as a collection of self-referential narratives intertwined with ideas of modernization and development. Modernity was constructed as an idealized version of itself and of a global landscape where modernization and development were seen as the driving forces. It symbolized a future horizon towards which all inhabitants of the planet were believed to be progressing.

The reimagining of modernity and its inherent epistemic violence has significantly impacted the history and historiography of modern art in recent years. A paradigm shift in art history has led to a reconfiguration of global modernisms by highlighting contact zones, networks, and transcultural flows of artistic expression beyond Eurocentric constraints.

 

[1] Walter Mignolo/Catherine Walsh, On Decoloniality : Concepts Analytics and Praxis. Durham, 2018, p. 109.

Entanglements

By employing the concept of entanglements, our research situates artistic expression within its social and political context through a contextual approach to art history and a critique of formalism. By embracing entanglements as a guiding principle, we highlight relationality by exploring how diverse local histories can transcend geopolitical boundaries and colonial disparities while also contesting the totalizing claims and epistemic violence inherent in modernity.

This conference is a collaborative effort between the Department of Arts and Musicology at the University of Graz, the Strange Tools Research Lab at the University of Cincinnati and the Kunsthaus Graz, hosting the exhibition Poetics of Power. Through this partnership, we aim to delve into the intricate entanglements between power dynamics, modern and contemporary art creation, and art history.

 

With T. J. Demos, Sabine Flach, Kris Holland, Oliver Marchart, Katrin Nahidi, Tanja Petrović u.a.