What is the locality in the scope of contemporary art today
─ On the occasion of launching the “Multi-layered Surfaces” exhibition
Kentaro Ichihara
Globalization has influenced the art world since the 1970s and the emergence of the postmodern era.
But even before we started using the terms “globalization” and “the postmodern era,” modern art, which emerged in the mid 19th century in Europe, captured the imaginations of people around the world. Japan was no exception. Japan too, during the Meiji era, got caught up in the trend of imitating European style, and has done so since.
It is said that the progress of modern art ended in the late 1970s. The period that follows is called “the postmodern era.” The direct cause of the new era’s emergence was exhaustion of contents within the modern art paradigm and the abilities to handle them. As a result, Europe and the United States, the origins of modern art, declared the resurrection of their past heritage. However, even though modern art hit a wall like this, the central and peripheral diagram of the modern art’s hierarchical structure remained the same.
One of the outcomes of post-modern thinking was the concept of “multiculturalism.” Multiculturalism is intended to be a celebration of the uniqueness of various cultures all over the world. This acknowledgment of the uniqueness of different cultures and their art had a natural and profound impact on the art world. Rather than art being “universal,” post-modernists proposed that art is culturally distinct and specific. In theory, this is exciting. In practice, however, post-modernist thinking was still rooted in the paradigms of Western thought and the Western capitalist economy.
From the end of the 20th century to the beginning of the 21st century, contemporary art became embroiled in economic globalization. European and American-centric globalization had a serious impact on the art world.
While globalization and the impact of it has both been opposed and criticized, the effect of globalization is that the task of making changes to the way the art market works seems nearly insurmountable. It would seem that, essentially, artists cannot survive in the art world unless they meet the demands of the global market -a market geared towards and emanating from the Western world-from a global, capitalist market.
But perhaps this isn’t true.
If we managed to get away from this market, would there still be room for free expression? This is likely impossible for central Europeans and American artists, but may be possible for the art world in Africa, South America, and Asia. Perhaps there could be a market immune to the western-centric capitalist market.
If one pays close attention to the story of art over the last 200 years, one will be amazed to see what changes have already occurred.
Let us return to the influence of modern art. More and more international artists, or those who have migrated from former colonies to the epicentres of western power have been introduced to Western art. Not only that, but new global centres for art have emerged, such as Hong Kong has an art fair which presents not only work by Chinese artists but work from artists from around the world.
One of the powerful effects of the cocktail of globalization, modernism and the postmodern era is that there is no longer a “centre” of art activity. In fact, the modern art world continues to thrive and exists worldwide. It is no longer rooted in Europe or the United States.
If the concept of an “epicentre” of globalization disappears, what does it mean to emphasize one’s chosen location in a global context? By creating a space where different localities engage with one another through art-by exchanging and intermingling, we create a culturally mixed, dynamic space where art and ideas can be shared. We do what contemporary art set out to do-to challenge what art is, and what art does.
現代のローカリティとは何か？
──「Multi Layered Surfaces」展に寄せて
市原研太郎
歴史上にポストモダンが出現して以来、アートの世界はグローバル化の洗礼を浴び続けている。
だが、それ以前にもアートのインターナショナルな展開は進行していた。19世紀後半、ヨーロッパに端を発したモダンアートが、その勢力を世界の国々へと拡大したのである。日本も例外ではなく、その大洪水に明治以降の日本が巻き込まれ、ヨーロッパを鑑にした普遍的スタイルを模倣した。
モダンアートのこの進展が行き詰まったのが、20世紀の70年代後半。それから世紀末にかけて、ポストモダンと呼ばれる時代が到来する。その直接の原因は、モダンアートのパラダイムの中身が種切れとなり、それを駆動するパワーが枯渇したからである。それにともない、モダンアートの源流の欧米が過去の遺産の復活を自らに宣言した。しかし、このようにモダンアートが壁にぶつかり停止したにせよ、モダンアートのヒエラルキーを表す世界の中心／周縁図式が消滅することはなかった。
その後、ポストモダンの登場は、世界中に散在する諸々の文化の独自性を承認する多文化主義を派生的に引き寄せたが、モダンアートの歴史の延長上にポストモダンを据える基本的構造に断絶を迫るものではなかったのだ。20世紀の終わりから21世紀の始まりの現在まで現代アートの表現は、この中心／周縁図式を温存したまま、世界の諸地域の文化的多様性を取り込みつつ発展してきたのである。
その途上で、ポストモダンのアートは経済のグローバル化に呑み込まれた。モダンアートの中心から周縁へと一様に拡大・浸透するインターナショナル化とは異なり、ポストモダンは経済のグローバル化の一環として、やはり欧米を中心としたマーケットのグローバル化に先導されていたのである。
その間、このグローバル化に反対の声や批判が投げつけられ、そのオルタナティブな提案がなされてきた。しかし、アートに関してグローバル化の力はあまりに強力だった。とくにグローバルの代名詞としてのアートマーケットは、その外部はないと言われるまでに世界を席巻した。この極端な事態は、マーケットの需要に応える表現でなければアートの世界に生き残れないことを意味する。
だが、マーケットから離れることができれば、まだ表現の自由の余地があるのではないか？ 欧米の中心は無理としても、周縁と呼ばれる地域、たとえばアフリカ、南米、アジアなどでその可能性があると思われるかもしれない。しかし、前述のように資本主義を原理とするマーケットに支配されたアートの外部がないとすれば、その影響を受けることは必至だろう。
だが、アートの現実をよく観察するなら、中心と目される欧米のアートシーンに紹介されるアーティストの出身地が世界に広がっているか、旧植民地から旧宗主国への移民であったり、また新たにグローバルなアートシーンに参入した地域、たとえば中国の香港で行われるアートフェアは、自国民ばかりでなく、世界中のアーティストの作品を飾っていることに目を見張るだろう。
したがって、現実のアートの活動にもはや中心はなく、したがって最終的に中心に収斂するグローバリズムは存在しない。前述のように現在アートで活躍するアーティストの出自（である社会や文化）は、すでに世界全体に散らばっているからだ。
では、実質的に中心とグローバルが消え去ったこの状況において、自ら選択したローカルにこだわることは、いかなる様態を纏うのだろうか？ それは、見せかけの中心とグローバルに対抗し、しかもローカルの多文化主義的なスタティックな表現ではなく、その内発的でダイナミックな運動に加担する。そうすることで、他のローカルとの交流や混淆に積極的に身を委ねる。この交流のただなかの文化のミックス・ゾーンで主役を演じるものこそ、現代アートと言われるに相応しい活動ではないだろうか。
What is the locality in the scope of contemporary art today
─ On the occasion of launching the “Multi-layered Surfaces” exhibition
Kentaro Ichihara
Globalization has influenced the art world since the 1970s and the emergence of the postmodern era.
But even before we started using the terms “globalization” and “the postmodern era,” modern art, which emerged in the mid 19th century in Europe, captured the imaginations of people around the world. Japan was no exception. Japan too, during the Meiji era, got caught up in the trend of imitating European style, and has done so since.
It is said that the progress of modern art ended in the late 1970s. The period that follows is called “the postmodern era.” The direct cause of the new era’s emergence was exhaustion of contents within the modern art paradigm and the abilities to handle them. As a result, Europe and the United States, the origins of modern art, declared the resurrection of their past heritage. However, even though modern art hit a wall like this, the central and peripheral diagram of the modern art’s hierarchical structure remained the same.
One of the outcomes of post-modern thinking was the concept of “multiculturalism.” Multiculturalism is intended to be a celebration of the uniqueness of various cultures all over the world. This acknowledgment of the uniqueness of different cultures and their art had a natural and profound impact on the art world. Rather than art being “universal,” post-modernists proposed that art is culturally distinct and specific. In theory, this is exciting. In practice, however, post-modernist thinking was still rooted in the paradigms of Western thought and the Western capitalist economy.
From the end of the 20th century to the beginning of the 21st century, contemporary art became embroiled in economic globalization. European and American-centric globalization had a serious impact on the art world.
While globalization and the impact of it has both been opposed and criticized, the effect of globalization is that the task of making changes to the way the art market works seems nearly insurmountable. It would seem that, essentially, artists cannot survive in the art world unless they meet the demands of the global market -a market geared towards and emanating from the Western world-from a global, capitalist market.
But perhaps this isn’t true.
If we managed to get away from this market, would there still be room for free expression? This is likely impossible for central Europeans and American artists, but may be possible for the art world in Africa, South America, and Asia. Perhaps there could be a market immune to the western-centric capitalist market.
If one pays close attention to the story of art over the last 200 years, one will be amazed to see what changes have already occurred.
Let us return to the influence of modern art. More and more international artists, or those who have migrated from former colonies to the epicentres of western power have been introduced to Western art. Not only that, but new global centres for art have emerged, such as Hong Kong has an art fair which presents not only work by Chinese artists but work from artists from around the world.
One of the powerful effects of the cocktail of globalization, modernism and the postmodern era is that there is no longer a “centre” of art activity. In fact, the modern art world continues to thrive and exists worldwide. It is no longer rooted in Europe or the United States.
If the concept of an “epicentre” of globalization disappears, what does it mean to emphasize one’s chosen location in a global context? By creating a space where different localities engage with one another through art-by exchanging and intermingling, we create a culturally mixed, dynamic space where art and ideas can be shared. We do what contemporary art set out to do-to challenge what art is, and what art does.