Postconceptual Condition

Tracking the postconceptual dimensions of contemporary art

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 30 January 2018
Publisher: Verso Books

If, as Walter Benjamin asserted, the role of artistic form is to transform historical content into a philosophical truth, then the role of criticism is to recover and complete that truth. This task has never been more urgent or challenging than in the case of contemporary art, which serves as a focal point for a multitude of social, historical, economic, and political forces, as well as the technologies of image production. Contemporary art manifests this condition through its distinctively postconceptual form, as argued by Osborne.

These essays, expanding upon the scope and arguments of Osborne's Anywhere or Not at All: Philosophy of Contemporary Art, delve into philosophical considerations of the changing temporal conditions of capitalist modernity, explore issues of formalism, the politics of art, and the evolving structure of art institutions. They then move on to interpret and analyze specific works by artists such as Akram Zataari, Xavier Le Roy, and Ilya Kabakov, as well as examining the postconceptual situation of a crisis-ridden New Music.

By delving into these critical aspects, these essays seek to shed light on the complex and multifaceted nature of contemporary art, its relationship to broader social and cultural contexts, and its potential for philosophical inquiry and understanding.

Weight: 380g
Dimension: 152 x 233 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781786634207