The lure of utopia

Noble, Richard. 2009. The lure of utopia. [Exhibition Catalogue]

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Abstract or Description

What is the lure of utopia for contemporary art? There has recently been a resurgence of interest in utopia, both as a subject for contemporary artists and as a strategy for making art. Whereas twenty, or perhaps even ten years ago, to call a work of art 'utopian' was to dismiss it as idealistic or naïve, even reactionary, the term seems to have recovered a certain respectability within the critical lexicon of contemporary art. Artists as varied as Tomas Hirschorn, Liam Gillick and Jeremy Deller are making works that are in significant respects utopian; while Goshka Mascuga, Nils Norman, Cary Young and Paul Chan are in various ways investigating utopia as both an impulse and as a legacy inherited from modernism. The utopian imulse is now finding regular embodiment in a great deal of visual art that purports to be critical of the social and political conditions we inhabit. (Excerpt, 1st paragraph).

Item Type:

Exhibition Catalogue

Additional Information:

"UTOPIA is a three-year project with shows by three international artists creating total installations for ARKEN’s Art Axis. Each installation examines, and adds facets, to the concept of utopia today. The focus of the UTOPIA exhibitions, and the events and educational efforts under the UTOPIA project, is on the “good life” and developing the museum of the future.

ARKEN’s second UTOPIA artist is Katharina Grosse, presenting the exhibition Hello Little Butterfly I love You What’s Your Name?. UTOPIA aims to make art available to as many people as possible. In response, the UTOPIA project embraces an array of outreach activities, going beyond the walls of the museum to hold special talks and teaching events. " (Gallery website).

Keywords:

utopia; art

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Art

Date:

December 2009

Event Location:

ARKEN, Ishøj, Denmark

Date range:

Dec 12 2009 - Oct 24 2010

Item ID:

4774

Date Deposited:

31 Jan 2011 11:25

Last Modified:

29 Apr 2020 15:29

URI:

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/4774

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