Post-Modernism, Ai Weiwei and Banksy

1. Define Post-Modernism using 8-10 bullet points that include short quotes.

Postmodernism is a philosophical movement away from the viewpoint of modernism.

a style and concept in the arts characterized by distrust of theories and ideologies and by the drawing of attention to conventions.

The development of architecture taking on the idea. “Form before Function”
Therefore architecture began to take the aesthetics of the old world and make the building tall and narrow, being space efficient.

A late 20th-century style and concept in the arts, architecture, and criticism that represents a departure from modernism and has at its heart a general distrust of grand theories and ideologies as well as a problematical relationship with any notion of “art.”

The postmodernist critique removes that central concept, it "decenters" the system of meaning. Postmodernism points out that all systems of meaning are in constant negotiation and flux, therefore claims of transcendent morality are suspect.

" The label 'postmodern' applies in many different contexts, and it cannot be abstracted into only one meaning or definition, for that defies the very essence of 'postmodern', which of course is a non-essence. "

Postmodernism rejects the ideas of 'subjectivity' and 'objectivity'

The Origins of Postmodernity', explains these apparent contradictions, and demonstrates the importance of "Postmodernism" as a category and a phenomenon in the analysis of contemporary culture. (Perry Anderson, 1998)

http://www.essortment.com/definition-postmodernism-20903.htmlhop

2. Use a quote by Witcombe (2000) to define the Post-Modern artist.

"The post–modern artist is ‘reflexive’ in that he or she is self–aware and consciously involved in a process of thinking about his or her cultural self in history, in de-masking his or her own pretensions, and promoting processes of self–consciousness."
-Witcombe, C (2000)

4. Use this summary to answer the next two questions.

Postmodernism summarizes a group of thoughts which have progressed from different aspects of modernism. Through a process of rejecting and reacting due to major historical events a realization was made that 'subjectivity' and 'objectivity' was not sustainable. This resulted in artists expressing there own view point upon society in bold statements through their works.

5. Research Chinese artist Ai Weiwei's 'Han Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola logo'(1994)
in order to say what features of the work are Post-Modern.

Features which make Ai Weiwei’s work considered Post-Modern is as he’s done 'Han Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola logo' put a very common logo such as Coca-Cola onto a historical, timeless artifact. His efforts to make a bold statement using a ironic contradiction of having something current on historical urn points out he is a post modern artists. By this statement he is making a social commentary about dominance of pop- culture over high culture.

6. Research British artist Banksy's street art, and analyze the following two works by the artist
to discuss how each work can be defined at Post-Modern.(Use your list from point 6.)

Banksy also is very well know to make social comments with his street art. Almost always in a subtle form of protest about war, politics, big businesses, government oppression and the environment. Banksy's 'Flower Riot' we can see how he’s made a statement by taking a famous picture and altered it changing the conventional connotations which go with the image.
'Los Angeles' is a statement about consumerism in society and he has rejected the conventional medium of borders and takes his works to the street which compliments his style in his works.

These works demonstrate exactly the approach of a post-modern artist to express there viewpoints and they don’t actually try say they are necessarily correct but try make the viewer to question and think. this also falls under a post-modern approach.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmodern_art