Postsocialist Contemporary: The Institutionalization of Artistic Practice in Eastern Europe After 1989

The postsocialist contemporary examines the Soros Center for Contemporary Art (SCCA) initiative, which was founded in Eastern Europe by George Soros in the 1990s to promote a Western 'open society through art. It analyzes how network managers and artists contributed to the construction of this new social order, challenging the notion of contemporary art as the aesthetic paradigm of late-capitalist market democracy.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 288 pages
\n Publication date: 23 November 2021
\n Publisher: Manchester University Press
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The postsocialist contemporary adds to an expanding corpus of scholarship that engages in a lively debate about the definition and essence of contemporary art. Drawing from a historicist vantage point, it centers its analysis on a specific art program initiated in Eastern Europe by the Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros. Initially launched in Hungary, the Soros Center for Contemporary Art (SCCA) expanded its reach to eighteen ex-socialist countries throughout the 1990s. Its primary objective was to foster a Western-oriented 'open society through art. This book delves into the ways in which network managers and artists actively contributed to the establishment of this novel social order by examining the program's trajectory, evolution, impact, and broader ideological and political ramifications. Instead of merely recounting historical events, it critically engages with 'contemporary art as the aesthetic paradigm of late-capitalist market democracy.

The postsocialist contemporary emerges within a growing scholarly discourse that examines the contours and characteristics of contemporary art. It adopts a historicist approach, grounding its analysis in a particular art program initiated in Eastern Europe by the Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros. Initially launched in Hungary, the Soros Center for Contemporary Art (SCCA) expanded its influence to eighteen ex-socialist countries throughout the 1990s. Its central mission was to cultivate a Western-oriented 'open society through art. This book explores the intricate ways in which network managers and artists actively contributed to the establishment of this novel social order by examining the program's trajectory, evolution, impact, and broader ideological and political ramifications. Rather than merely recounting historical events, it critically engages with 'contemporary art as the aesthetic paradigm of late-capitalist market democracy.

The postsocialist contemporary emerges within a growing scholarly discourse that examines the contours and characteristics of contemporary art. It adopts a historicist approach, grounding its analysis in a particular art program initiated in Eastern Europe by the Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros. Initially launched in Hungary, the Soros Center for Contemporary Art (SCCA) expanded its influence to eighteen ex-socialist countries throughout the 1990s. Its central mission was to cultivate a Western-oriented 'open society through art. This book explores the intricate ways in which network managers and artists actively contributed to the establishment of this novel social order by examining the program's trajectory, evolution, impact, and broader ideological and political ramifications. Rather than merely recounting historical events, it critically engages with 'contemporary art as the aesthetic paradigm of late-capitalist market democracy.

\n Weight: 598g\n
Dimension: 164 x 242 x 24 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781526158000\n \n