VAM4070

Australian postmodernism

Leigh Astbury

12 points -2 hours per week -Second semester -Clayton

Objectives Upon completion of this subject students should have achieved an historical understanding of the development of postmodernism; engaged with the major theoretical issues in the area, and developed skills in writing art criticism.

Synopsis The recurring issues of regionalism and internationalism will be addressed in architecture and painting/sculpture, as will interpretations of Australia as the site of international congruence and influence. The subject will move from discussion of the American context of The Field exhibition of 1968 to the 'pluralisms' of the 1970s: minimal art, performance art, and feminism. The focus on the 1980s and early 1990s will address some of the following: neo-expressionism in painting, sculpture and architecture, rationalism and neo-classical approaches in architecture, aboriginality, publication and publicity, theoretical issues and the current status of Australian art, including recent developments in abstraction, installation, gay art, and angry women.

Assessment fourth year First seminar paper (2500 words): 25% -Second seminar paper (3000 words): 35% -Research essay (3500 words): 40%

Preliminary reading

Foster H The anti-aesthetic: Essays on postmodern culture Bay Press, 1993
Wallis B Art after modernism: Rethinking representation New Museum of Contemporary Art, 1994

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