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"But I promise we'll take the world to its feet
And move mountains"

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Andra Day - Rise Up [Official Music Video] [Inspiration Version]

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Heavenly Highway of Aunt Fränzi (1974-1975) by Lubo Kristek

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< https://artincontext.org/postmodern-art/

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Infographic from the article provided above

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(7) A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke (1963)

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(7) A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke (1963)

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"Lor', there been times that I thought
I couldn't last for long
But now I think I'm able to carry on."

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Sam Cooke - A change is gonna come - 1963

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With how we act upon the series of events that result in the changes we face and adapt to in our own ways, what we do now can either be of something great or something to continue to improve on. Even through these differences, the meanings within all the importance of all social movements will somehow affect our futures ahead. Yet it will always be on our part to figure out how we can help others who don’t have the voice and equal opportunities to do so. As “Our growing understanding of human society gives us reasons to be hopeful that we can get the job done.” (P.509)

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The agenda for the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting 2019 presents an audacious challenge: developing a model for Globalization 4.0.

This challenge comes at a hinge point in history. Over the past 30 years, the global economy has delivered immense human progress: For the first time, more than half of humanity is considered middle-class. But it seems the existing model is running out of road. Income inequality is rising, sparking populist challenges to the market economy. Climate change and natural resource depletion are already creating human and economic dislocation that are, in turn, creating social and political instability. And the pace of technological change requires new thinking about how to build legal and ethical frameworks so that the use of these amazing new tools is based on shared values.

Just as these changes have created a radically different set of issues to understand and address, we also need radically new ways of thinking to help us understand and shape the path forward. Futures thinking is an invaluable tool in informing and testing strategies for the next era of globalization.

At times like ours, with rapid, interconnected change, scenarios offer a powerful way to explore multiple distinct possibilities. Rather than predicting what the world will be, they provide stories of alternate futures that combine research into drivers of change with informed speculation about how key uncertainties could play out. Scenarios help deliver insight into the social and political context in which businesses make decisions and the rules under which societies apply their values. They are designed to complement more traditional analytical approaches, which too often offer precision at the cost of failing to anticipate truly disruptive change.

Already, we can see many of the tectonic shifts likely to define the coming decades. A changing climate will reshape our natural world and our economy. The shifting nature of work and the rise of new technologies will present both immense opportunity and profound dilemmas. The specific nature and timing of these changes cannot, however, be foreseen. We know that increasing drought will threaten food supplies and that increasingly violent storms will disrupt global supply chains-but we don't know where or how. We know that automation will both create and destroy jobs, but the pace of destruction and the likeliest new opportunities are hard to predict. We know that advances in technologies create profound questions, as we are seeing today with the sharp debate over gene-edited babies, with different principles applying in different locations.

In outlining its vision for Davos this year, the World Economic Forum has challenged us to redefine globalization for our era through "wider engagement and heightened imagination." Looking at potential scenarios for our shared future is an invaluable way to apply these principles. As an example, the scenarios outlined in our Doing Business in 2030 report explore whether and how our information and decision-making will reflect global consensus or deep fragmentation.

This is one of the fault lines along which our future is being shaped, with signals of both consolidation and fragmentation visible. There are forces of consolidation in our world: technologies bring greater transparency, and urbanization means that people's' experiences are increasingly similar. Equally we see forces of fragmentation: different values applied to privacy rules and medical ethics, and nation states ceding power to cities and regions while simultaneously asserting nationalist views.

There is also a very good chance that the future will reflect both the reality of divergent models and the need for global consensus. Indeed, Globalization 4.0 will almost certainly be defined through countless experiments reflecting different cultural norms and expectations, with different economic objectives and conditions, and under diverging political systems. Eras of great change often evolve in diverse ways before converging (if they ever do). And at the same time, there is a crying need for collective global answers to the climate crisis, increased migration, and the uses of technology that are reshaping the very question of what it means to be human.

Decision-makers in business, government and civil society will therefore have to be "multi-lingual," and prepared to steer their organizations through a range of possible futures. Not only that, the dividing lines between different types of institutions can be a barrier to progress. As we wrote in our Doing Business in 2030 scenarios: "If humans are to flourish on a thriving planet amid rapid technological change, we need to reorient the relationships between civil society, government, and business."

Globalization 4.0 won't be defined for all-time in one week at Davos. But to ensure we make a good start, futures thinking and the ability to conceptualize multiple futures are essential.

Ultimately, the future scenario we want, and the one the world needs, is yet to be written. While future scenarios depict how external forces could evolve in the coming years, it is up to us, working together, to write a new and better story. That is the great prize, and there is no time to lose.
This article originally appeared on the World Economic Forum website.

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How Futures Thinking Can Help Us Shape Globalization 4.0 | Blog | BSR

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The agenda for the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting 2019 presents an audacious challenge: developing a model for Globalization 4.0. This challenge comes at a hinge point in history. Over the past 30 years, the global economy has delivered immense human progress: For the first time, more than half of humanity is considered middle-class.

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As a variety of expressions were made and set apart from what the postmodernism era had created through variations of art than what it was instructed to follow, it lead to new findings. In which allowed these forms of artistic differences to become what sets the individual perspectives as unique even if they go against the common values and beliefs of others. "On the contrary, they maintain, different people see different realities, and there are many ways to socially construct the world." (P.508)

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Postmodern art was an artistic movement that replaced Modernism and helped pave the way for the development of Contemporary art. The Postmodern period came up around the middle of the 20th century, and lasted for a few years until it advanced into the later movements that would supersede it in popularity. Existing as a controversial artistic practice, Postmodernism art destroyed previously established ideas about art and design, as the movement created a new and avant-garde self-awareness surrounding style.
An Introduction to Postmodern Art

Forming in the middle of the 20 th century, Postmodern art was said to burst onto the artistic scene sometime between the 1960s and 1970s. This movement replaced Modernism as the primary artistic style at the time, and was viewed as a form of art with no standard guidelines that dictated the practice. Postmodern art stretched over two decades, coming to an end in around the 1990s when other artistic styles that had borrowed characteristics from Postmodernism began to develop.

Existing as a body of art that incorporated different movements, Postmodern art borrowed aspects from a variety of artistic practices when creating artworks. The Postmodernism era described a form of art in which artists were able to truly express what they thought and felt, with pieces from this period typically characterized by complete freedom from politics and other societal influences.

The previous artistic movement, Modernism, created artworks that displayed a deep emotional detachment to society, with Postmodernism contradicting this idea in all the works that were created under this term. The introduction of new types of art, such as Neo-Dada and Pop art within America, changed the mindset of artists by ushering in a new period of creative revitalization. Due to the fact that there was no clear and definite distinction of what encompassed Postmodern art, artists had free reign to create anything they desired.

Heavenly Highway of Aunt Fränzi (1974-1975) by Lubo Kristek; Lubo Kristek, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

An early influence on the subsequent development of Postmodern art was the Dada movement, in which artists mocked the traditional art establishment with their anarchic behaviors and disrespectful performances. The introduction of the readymade into art shocked audiences as it forced viewers to question the authenticity and originality of art, which had a remarkable effect on the development of Postmodernism.

Postmodern art was considered to be an incredibly contentious movement, as it openly challenged already established ideas about art in an attempt to bring about a reformed awareness and understanding into the art-making process.

Artworks created within the Postmodern period placed focus on breaking down the distinctions between what was considered to be high and low art. This was done by employing elements of popular culture in artworks to highlight the contrast between these two types of art, as well as to demonstrate how these elements could work together. Postmodern artists closely experimented with the idea of undermining originality, as they would use photographs and other pieces with little or no modification to the original.

Postmodernism art was seen as anti-authoritarian by nature, as the movement refused to acknowledge the authority of any style or definition surrounding what art should be made up of. Despite employing some characteristics of other movements, Postmodern art reacted against the ideas and values that governed these movements. In doing so, the movement was ultimately credited with refining the difference between high culture and popular culture within the works that were created.

A 2015 special edition display of Andy Warhol's famous Campbell's Soup series; Foto: Jonn Leffmann, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Due to this, Postmodern art ushered in a new era of liberation from tradition, as it was based on the idea that anything goes within artistic creation. Thus, artworks were ironic, absurd, confrontational, or problematic, and often challenged the boundaries of what was considered suitable and in good taste. This reaction of how art can be produced took on several artistic forms as Postmodernism evolved, eventually developing into Conceptual art, Minimalism, Video art, Performance art, Identity Politics, and Institutional Critique.

What Is Postmodernism?

The Postmodernism art movement was a difficult artistic period to define due to its lack of rules and its borrowing of elements from other movements. Within art, the term "postmodern" appeared around the 1970s, and was used to describe artistic movements that had emerged after the late 1950s in reaction to the perceived failings and overindulgence of the modernist period. However, within the contemporary sense, the term was not used until 1979 by philosopher Jean-François Lyotard in his writing, La Condition Postmoderne, "The Postmodern Condition".

A Postmodernism Definition

To an extent, Postmodernism defied definition as no one style or theory was able to encompass the entire movement. Nevertheless, Postmodern art is generally said to describe any movements that arose from the rejection of Modernism, such as Conceptual art, Pop art, Neo-Expressionist art, Feminist art, and the art of the Young British Artists. Art created within these genres was typically avant-garde and revolutionary, as they reacted against previously formal elements that dictated artistic creation.

Postmodern art was said to be ground-breaking and progressive, as it rejected the idea of development in art. In order to reject these ideas, an important and defining characteristic within Postmodernism art was the mixing of high and low culture through the use of industrial supplies and pop culture images. Postmodern creations were noted for how they blurred the distinctions between what was considered fine art and what was generally thought to be kitsch.

Thus, the Postmodern art movement brought components of kitsch, commercialism, and a general camp aesthetic into the art context. It also borrowed elements from past artistic periods, such as the Renaissance, the Baroque, and Gothicism, but mixed them with newer styles which rendered their original use pointless.

Understanding the Term "Postmodernism"

Since the 1950s, the predominant art term used to describe art after the Modernism movement has been contemporary art, although not all contemporary art falls into the bracket of Postmodernism. However, it has been argued by defenders of the Modernism movement that Postmodernism can also be used to denote a certain phase of Modernism within art. Additionally, the term "Postmodernism" has been said to encompass all art that emerged from Modern art, as the newer movement was viewed as a version of its prior influence.

This shift from Modernism to Postmodern art is said to be dated around 1914 in Europe, and between 1962 and 1968 in America. As with all new artistic terms, criticism existed surrounding its application. Art historian Kirk Varnedoe suggested that no such thing as Postmodernism could exist, as the possibilities within Modernism had not yet been fully explored. Based on this, the theoretical foundations of the term Postmodernism as an iconic branch of art are still very much contested.

As the world economy expanded, Postmodern art became the favored artistic style to comment on aspects of consumerism and corporate culture. Unfortunately, this would prove to be the downfall of the movement, as the Postmodernism movement eventually collapsed under its own success. However, it provided the art community with a new way of observing the world, which is still relevant today.

Characteristics and Influences of Postmodern Art

As an art movement, Postmodernism could not be described as coherent due to the lack of noticeable characteristics within the artworks that were produced. Despite this, Postmodern art was rather characterized by a set of styles and attitudes that were present within the pieces, as the common theme surrounding a rejection of Modernism was apparent. The main characteristic that was used to identify art as Postmodern was the distinct break down between fine art and popular culture within works.

This was done through employing styles such as collage, assemblage, montage, bricolage, text as a central element, appropriation, and simplification in art pieces. Performance art became a popular medium to work with, as well as the recycling of past styles and themes into a more modern context. The use of these diverse sources allowed experimentation with originality, performance, boundaries, aesthetic codes, and audience participation, which went on to challenge previous definitions of what art was.

Video Oil (1979) by Sérgio Valle Duarte, printed in the book New Media Art Multimedia 70/80. This was a study that aimed "to increase the pleasure of living with a work of art by adding live movement with a video VHS of two hours", as the VHS had just been released in the marked the year before. As flat screens were not available, Duarte needed to design the canvas to have a depth that would allow old TV dimensions; Sérgio Valle Duarte Wikidata has entry Q16269994 with data related to this item., CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Precursors of Postmodernism

Movements and trends that were seen as significant precursors to the development of Postmodernism arose around the First World War, specifically in its aftermath. The introduction of industrial elements into art, as well as techniques like collage, caused movements like Cubism, Dada, and Surrealism to challenge the character and merit that was supposedly present within art. Therefore, the new art forms that developed influenced these movements by introducing more modern ways of creating art.

Initially beginning as Modernist movements, Pop art and Minimalism underwent a fundamental change in their approach to art in the early 1970s, and were considered to be early precursors to Postmodern Art. However, an influential forerunner to the Postmodern movement was the Dadaism period and the works created by Marcel Duchamp.

When considering the chronological development of Dadaism, the movement was located solidly within Modernism. Despite this, the chaotic art period was said to signify the shift that occurred between Modernism and Postmodernism, as it anticipated a movement that renounced the aesthetic in favor of art that was not traditional in nature. Duchamp's move in 1914 from a Modernist practice to a Postmodern one demonstrated the understanding that progression within art was a lie, which was an essential notion within Postmodernism art.

Fountain (1917) by Marcel Duchamp; Marcel Duchamp, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Modernism versus Postmodernism

The Postmodern movement was seen as a reaction against Modernism, as it held completely contradicting viewpoints. Modernism was typically based on a utopian and romanticized view of society and human life, as well as the belief that progress automatically related to increased benefits. Until the middle of the 20 th century, art, literature, philosophy, and science were defined by the technological developments caused by the industrial revolution and the overwhelming positivity that was associated with modern life.

It was assumed that science could formulate universal truths that would simply explain reality, with artists then experimenting with more technical elements that subscribed to a scientific outlook within Modernism. More focus was placed on the form, technique, and process of making art in order to create a true reflection of the modern work, with the importance of the subjects being forgotten.

This led to a reaction against the supposed idealism that existed within society, which led to the formation of the Postmodern movement. Thus, Postmodernism evolved out of the feelings of incredulity and distrust that were starting to develop in society, as the movement challenged the existence of these universal certainties that were previously claimed. Postmodern artists began to refer to the mid to late 20 th century philosophies that existed, as they believed that the individual experience was more important to express in artworks.

Modernism Transition into Postmodernism

The transition between these two artistic periods was marked by the significant change that was experienced by the Western world in the middle of the 20 th century. At this shifting point, two devastating wars had taken place, millions of people had lost their lives, communist ideals were destroyed, and nuclear weapons had been put to use. Thus, the Modernist hopefulness that had dominated the pre-war art sphere no longer seemed appropriate, as its beliefs were viewed as pointless, obsolete, and destined for failure.

Additionally, Europe was no longer viewed as the center of the avant-garde or Modern Art, as the focus surrounding art had shifted to New York, where the Abstract Movement was beginning to develop. Artists working within this movement flourished in this new post-war era of art, as their interests were revitalized with new meaning despite them still being identified as Modernists through the characteristics used within their artworks.

Once Abstract Expressionism became an established movement within America, artists began to challenge it for its failure to provide adequate reference to both the condition of the world and the thriving popular culture. Encouraged by this passion to create art that recognized daily life, artists began to test out new styles that borrowed and reconstructed imagery from the mass culture around them.

High and Low Art

A distinction existed between what was perceived to be high and low art, as the Modernism and Postmodernism movements made use of each style respectively. High art was a term used to identify fine art that was traditional in terms of the medium, technique, and style that was used, such as paintings and sculpture. This title was used to describe all art that supposedly held a class status, as it separated itself from art that was deemed tasteless and therefore unworthy of attention.

In response to this, Postmodernism adopted characteristics of low art within their work, such as the use of pop culture, mass-produced goods, and elements from magazines and television. Postmodern artists embraced the "popular" within society and eagerly added this feature to their works, leaving their artworks to come across as kitsch to art critics. Instead of creating art that was seen as traditional, Postmodernism artists experimented with mundane objects humorously and ironically by transforming them into gigantic sculptures and cultural icons.

The attention placed on low culture within art expanded the definition of what art encompassed and could be, which provided an important social critique at the time. Through embracing the popular culture at the time, the Postmodern movement was able to create art that deviated from traditional norms in such a way as to allow a new artistic medium to develop.

Marilyn in the Sky (1999) by James Gill; James Francis Gill, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image and Spectacle

Within this new period of consumerism and television that had developed in America, advertising and popular culture became more and more widespread in everyday life. In 1968, the first uncensored footage of war was viewed by the American public in their homes, as scenes of the Vietnam War were displayed on the television. This documented the start of a disconnect that was developing between image and spectacle, as society seemed perfectly comfortable witnessing such atrocities of war in their home.

The images that were shown were indicative of the new reality that existed, as it became harder for society to differentiate between fact and fiction. Additionally, the widespread use of advertising added to the difficulty that had formed in making the distinction between the two.

This new contrast between image and spectacle inspired artists to begin creating works that focused on the surface rather than any deeper meaning, as spectacle was given precedence over substance. This focus on surface existed as a key component in the works of artists within the Postmodern period, specifically in the artworks created by Barbara Kruger.

The Blending of Aesthetic Codes

The Modernism movement first emerged in France in the 19 th century as a rejection of the historical and symbolic portrayals of the French Academy and their authority over what was considered to be artistic. Thus, the experimental movements that occurred in the early 20 th century moved away from any reference to a subject within artworks, as a pure and more direct form of visual artistic expression was sought after and created.

This trend of nonrepresentational painting reached a peak with the development of Abstract Expressionism, after which painting as an artistic medium was seen as overused, with hardly any space left to experiment. When the Postmodern movement emerged after this, artists began to explore past styles and media in an attempt to bring back a historical and subjective aesthetic. However, this reinvigoration of previous artistic styles was reworked in such a way that they contained an intentional lack of integrity and harmony within the works created.

A section of a 1985 BMW 635CSi painted by Robert Rauschenberg. Rauschenberg took his designs from actual paintings, including some very well-known ones, which he modified using photographic techniques and recreated on the car; Davidwiz, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Artistic codes and genres were mixed to display old and new meanings that were blended together in unique and daring ways. In copying the style of the Dadaists, the Postmodern artists used techniques such as collage, bricolage, assemblage, and juxtaposed text and images when creating works out of found objects to create layered surfaces.

Based on the concept of "anything goes", many artists began exploring multimedia technology through an artistic crossover during the 1960s and 1970s, as they were able to create spectacles through combining different types of media. This style of blending found its way into filmmaking, with Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994) existing as a good example of this. The movie is said to challenge the conventional narrative through the disconnected montage of the characters and the random order of the plots.

Originality and Authenticity

Within traditional art that had previously dominated the artistic sphere, the individuality and originality of an artwork were the key elements that gave it its value, both financially and symbolically. This was a concept that was preserved throughout the Modernist era within art, as the uniqueness of an artwork was what deemed it important enough to be considered as art worth viewing.

Duchamp's artwork ridiculed the entire groundwork on which the establishment of art had been constructed, which gave way for artists to begin experimenting with the concept of what informed art. In 1936, Walter Benjamin wrote his influential essay, titled The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, in which he stated that the mass reproduction of art could ensure its wider accessibility to society. Additionally, through using methods such as printing, the artworks created had a lower commodity value.

Benjamin's thoughts were later adopted by artists within the Pop, Minimalist, Performance, and Conceptual spheres, which led to artists experimenting with a variety of techniques that worked to diminish the idea of authenticity and value in the works created. This was seen in the artworks belonging to Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, who challenged the concepts of originality and authenticity in their appropriated works through mass-produced items that were printed with well-known imagery.

Roy Lichtenstein in front of one of his painting Whaam! (1963) at an exhibition in Stedelijk Museum in 1967; Eric Koch, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Postmodern artists searched for democracy within art, through the reproduction, experimentation, and appropriation of their artworks. Previously, in the Modernist era, the art world was viewed as elitist because it was predominantly controlled by white Western males who created art that was seen as worthy of viewing. Postmodernists sought to break away from this ideal, with this timing coinciding with the rise of feminism, the civil rights movement, and the battle for LGBTQ+ rights.

Artworks created in the Postmodern era displayed a want for a more pluralist approach, which led to artists approaching subjects from a variety of new perspectives so as to include viewpoints of previously unrepresented positions.

Famous Postmodern Artists and Their Artworks

Throughout the history of Postmodernism art, many artworks were created using a variety of characteristics borrowed from previous art movements. Performance pieces, sculpture, and photography were more popular mediums within this movement; however, some Postmodernism painting did exist. Within this article, some of the movement's more active Postmodern artists are spoken about, along with their significant artworks which helped to develop the era of Postmodernism

Andy Warhol (1928 - 1987)

Pop artist Andy Warhol created some iconic artworks that were defined as part of the Postmodernism era of art. Out of his works, his 1962 silkscreen Marilyn Diptych exists as a notable work within the Postmodern movement, as Warhol experimented with an aesthetic style that was typically found within the advertising industry at the time.

This diptych, which describes two pieces of art that are combined to create one whole artwork, depicted a picture of Marilyn Monroe in the film Niagara, which Warhol first reproducing a left panel in color and then a right panel in black and white. Made in the months following Monroe's death, Warhol displayed his fascination with death and celebrities, with this artwork combining these interests. Additionally, the stark color contrast against the two panels was suggestive of the dissimilarity of life and death.

Andy Warhol with Archie, his pet Dachshund, in 1973; Jack Mitchell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Warhol challenged the traditional form of representing subjects upheld in the Modern art movement through repeating the same image of Monroe. This repetition was also viewed as a mocking commentary on the growing mass production that had begun within art, as well as the authenticity that was believed to exist in all artworks. Warhol often questioned the tradition of high art in his works, with the creation of Marilyn Diptych existing as a lighthearted answer to his question.

This can be seen as a Postmodernism artwork due to its obvious reference to pop culture, which was typically associated with low art, its rebellion against prior Modernist aesthetic ideals, and the use of repetition which stood for mass production. Additionally, Warhol was successful in disrupting the authenticity in his artwork as he made use of a found image, repeated it, and labeled it as art. This work challenged traditional boundaries between high and low art in America, as it existed as a statement for consumerism and spectacle.

Carolee Schneemann (1939 - 2019)

An iconic Postmodern performance piece was created by Carolee Schneemann, who focused on the body as explicitly sexual within her works. Her refusal to separate sexual experience from art making was deliberate, as she planned to return to the body as a sight of knowledge and experience so as to unite its inner energies with the visual information it provided. Schneemann's most iconic performance art piece was titled Interior Scroll and was performed in 1975.

Many artists between the 1950s and 1960s challenged the relationship between an artwork and the audience, as performances as a new art form were very new to the artistic world. Schneemann was radical in her approach to performance art and in her seminal piece, she undressed in front of an audience. What made her work so shocking was that she slowly pulled out a strip of paper from her vagina after undressing, and began to read the text that was written on it.

Barbara Kruger (1945 - Present)

Another prominent female artist within the Postmodernism era was Barbara Kruger, whose works existed as iconic pieces of the movement. Kruger made use of advertising to design her artworks, with a few of her more well-known pieces being mass-produced on shopping bags and other products like T-shirts. A popular notion that appeared in some of her works was the theme of consumerism, which was the main feature in her iconic 1987 work, Untitled (I shop therefore I am).

This artwork was characteristic of Kruger's style, as a juxtaposition was created through the combination of a found photography and an assertive or provocative slogan. An appropriation between high art and mass-media advertising was created within Kruger's work, as this piece takes on the form of an advert as opposed to a formal work of art. The color scheme of red, black, and white helped place the writing at the forefront of the work, which acted as the focal point for viewers to consider first.

The quote "I shop therefore I am" subverted René Descartes' philosophical statement of "I think therefore I am", which referred to consumerism that was said to be shaping identities within society. Through this work, Kruger stated that a person's value and identity ran no deeper than the surface, implying that the material possessions they owned dictated who they were. Additionally, the red frame surrounding the work created a confined space, which was said to emphasize the text against the blurred background.

Another of Barbara Kruger's exhibitions, Joyful Losers (2014) at Modern Art Oxford; Jun from Melbourne, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Marina Abramović (1946 - Present)

Existing as the artist of a significant performance piece was artist Marina Abramović, whose works were well-known within the Postmodern period. Her most iconic piece, performed in 1974, was titled Rhythm 0/Seven Easy Pieces. In her work, Abramović placed herself in a gallery and invited audience members to do what they wanted to her without her eliciting any response.

Abramović set out 72 different objects that viewers could choose from to use on her, with these items consisting of knives and a loaded gun. With the items ranging from pain to pleasure, viewers were first hesitant to take part in her performance. However, after Abramović's six-hour performance, her interactions with viewers became increasingly aggressive, which led to vicious and disturbing outcomes.

This performance was seen as groundbreaking at the time, as it aided in the Postmodern shift that leaned towards including audience participation as part of an artwork. Abramović demonstrated a total surrendering of control and authorship within her artwork by allowing audience members to dictate its outcome, which challenged the Modernist's idea that art had to be unique and created by one famous artistic figure.

The artist book 3 Performances by Marina Abramović, released on the occasion of the International Performance Festival, April 1978; Marina Abramović and the CODA Museum, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cindy Sherman (1954 - Present)

An artist who experimented with the playful treatment of identity and self was Cindy Sherman, who incorporated this element of pluralism within all of her Postmodernism photography. Sherman's works placed particular focus on the split that existed between an identity that was created through film or another type of media and the reality of women's experiences in society.

In doing this, Sherman demonstrated that art could resist superior narratives. Within her Untitled Film Stills series, her 1978 work titled Untitled Film Still #21 exists as a well-known black and white photograph, as she depicts a female film heroine in a costume and a hat. A young woman from the 1950s is depicted and framed by the skyscrapers around her, with the era of the photograph being recognized by the dress she is wearing. The expression on her face is vague, as she seems both determined and uneasy at the same time.

The images within Sherman's Postmodernism photography series experimented with the idea of a shattered postmodern identity, as she took on the role of both the photographer and the subject in her work. In each photograph in her Untitled Film Stills series, Sherman posed as an actress in a variety of settings from different eras, which spoke to the notion of time and genres that audience members could identify with.

Thus, Sherman's photographs were Postmodern due to their lack of authenticity and the representation of identity as a fluid and interchanging concept. Through the borrowing of historic styles, Sherman was able to position herself both inside and outside the realm of media, which provided a strong critique about the idea of fixed feminism and the representation of women in society.

Cindy Sherman's 1980s Series exhibition rooms (at time of closing). On this view, we can appreciate the organization of the spaces on the ground floor (lower level of the foundation) which allows each series of photographs by the artist to be clearly identified as well as the colors of the picture rails which have been selected to make the exhibition particularly attractive; Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Jeff Koons (1955 - Present)

Another artist who created works that played off the kitsch potential of Postmodernism art was Jeff Koons. His most iconic art series, known as Banality, displayed this tacky aspect that existed in most of his works, as it demonstrated the contrast of the garish and sentimental within his pieces. His most significant Postmodernism sculpture was placed within this series and was titled Michael Jackson and Bubbles (1988).

Within this artwork, Koons created a life-size sculpture of Michael Jackson and his pet monkey, Bubbles, sitting on a bed of flowers. The sculpture demonstrated the height of Jackson's fame at the time, with Koons painting it in gold to emphasize his popularity. In doing so, he also converted Jackson into a god-like icon through this color, which displayed the rejection of traditional religious imagery that was still present in the Modernist era.

Additionally, the white coloring of the faces referred to the Byzantine, Baroque, and Rococo periods of art, with Koons bringing back past styles in a theatrical and gaudy way which was typical of artworks within the period of Postmodern Art. This sculpture exists as a good example of the excess that was present within the artworks created by Koons, and also challenged the traditional notions of taste, high art, and pop culture.

Puppy (1992) by Jeff Koons; Zarateman, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Damien Hirst (1965 - Present)

Known for creating astonishing Postmodernism sculpture pieces was Damien Hirst, the leading artist of the Young British Artists movement, who were known for their provocative and shocking artworks. Of all the works he created, his most famous piece and an equally well-known artwork was his 1991 sculpture titled The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living.

This art piece, also known as The Shark, is possibly one of the most famous works of the Young British Artists movement in the 1990s, and is made up of a tiger shark that was preserved in formaldehyde. In this work, Hirst confronts viewers with their own death by presenting a once-feared beast, which forces viewers to further acknowledge their fears about dying in a public space as opposed to a private one.

Since most viewers would have only seen an animal of this size and force in a book or through the television, being physically confronted with the actual shark made it difficult for viewers to see it as "real" and not a replica. Through placing the shark in the gallery, Hirst played on the idea that the animal had lost its power and was, therefore, no harm to viewers because it was dead. This exists as an important Postmodern work through the spectacle that was created when looking at it, as well as the fact that the immense animal was viewed as a mere commodity because it was no longer alive.

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Postmodern Art - An In-Depth Exploration of the Postmodernism Period

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Postmodern art was an artistic movement that replaced Modernism and helped pave the way for the development of Contemporary art. The Postmodern period came up around the middle of the 20th century, and lasted for a few years until it advanced into the later movements that would supersede it in popularity.

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The importance of knowing the history of the Women’s Rights Movement remains as a sequence of important moments within our history that continue to impact the movement and its purpose in our current affairs. As it mentions in the chapter that “Social change occurs when people join together in the pursuit of a common goal ,” (P.490) the empowerment given by women who not only gather women but also the rest of the world to understand the importance of the solidarity that must stand with them.

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Women in the 19th Century: Crash Course US History #16

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(Women's Rights Movement Protest, Present Day)

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As the time difference between these important moments in our history are a couple of years apart, the color in the first photo, as opposed to usual old black & white ink photos, shows that it wasn’t too long ago. For these photos remain to greatly show the collective behavior through the formations of crowds to protest and give their support to act upon the racial discrimination and injustices done onto Black people and their communities. As the mutual focus of attention is set, together we fight for those changes as the influences of others greatly affect us too. (P.490)

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https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-present-belongs-to-crowds

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“The mass media give rise to a national culture that washes over the traditional differences that used to set off one region from another.” (P.502) As the use of these two drawings display similar/honest depictions of how the media and its excessive (yet specified) amount of information is shared to all who pay attention to it. The variation of sources we attain, create different perceptions in which influence what aspects we are advised to think about, but not about all the other aspects that are important as well.

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With this explanation of Conflict Theory from Khan Academy, it provides insight between the differences of why both don’t often go well together. As the chapter says that “Mass-society theorists argue that the state works to increase equality and fight social problems. Marx disagreed; he doubted that the state could accomplish more than minor reforms because, as he saw it, real power lies in the hands of the capitalists who control the economy.” (P.504)

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Conflict theory | Society and Culture | MCAT | Khan Academy

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I chose this song because of how its purpose and variation of meanings still remain relevant in our current affairs. As the chapter mentions that the theory for mass-society contains aspects of rapid social change, social diversity, and widespread isolation, the results of those aspects can often be difficult for individuals to create their own sense of identity through either of them. (P.504) Yet with the power and strength of the minds amongst the individuals of many generations, that continue to speak upon the matters of racism, stereotypes, and prejudices. The importance of these messages that continue to speak volumes in ways to keep us in solidarity and to remain teachable towards those that still don’t seem to understand.

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En Vogue - Free Your Mind (Official Music Video) [HD]

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(5) Free Your Mind (Acapella) by Citizen Queen

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(5) Free Your Mind (Acapella) by Citizen Queen

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For the (2020) Human Rights Campaign, the largest group in which advocates for the LGBTQ communities. As providing this cover instills a tribute to the women of En Vogue and beyond, as well as the generation before and after us.

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Free Your Mind - Citizen Queen [HRC LIVESTREAM PERFORMANCE]