The Conspiracy of Art: Peering into a "Contemporary Art International"

Author: He Qing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: This book presents a "non-mainstream" independent perspective, showcasing an alternative history of "international contemporary art." It aims to reveal that "international contemporary art" is neither "international" nor "contemporary" but rather a "American-style art" forcibly established by post-war Americans worldwide. Post-war America used its powerful cultural propaganda and art market influence to validate everyday objects and actions as art. Under the guise of "anti-art" and "anti-painting," Americans declared European classical art "outdated" while proclaiming the "Pop," "Performance," "Installation," and "Conceptual" movements originating in the 1960s as "contemporary art." In doing so, they forcibly shifted the center of the world art from Paris to New York. Americans emphasized "timeliness" to mask "American-ness," equating "American art" with "contemporary art." At the same time, they highlighted "worldliness" to conceal "American-ness," equating "American art" with "international art" to undermine the legitimacy of other national and ethnic cultural arts. As a result, America replaced Europe, America dominated the world, and American-style "international contemporary art" became a "global contemporary art," spreading "American-style art" worldwide—this is the "conspiracy of art."