{"product_id":"9781452944951","title":"Becoming Past: History in Contemporary Art","description":"\u003cp\u003eIs there such a thing as contemporary art history? The contemporary, after all—as much as we may want to consider it otherwise—is being made history as it happens. By what means do we examine this moving target? These questions lie at the center of Jane Blocker’s \u003ci\u003eBecoming Past\u003c\/i\u003e. The important point is not whether there is—or should be—contemporary art history, Blocker argues, but how.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFocusing on a significant aspect of current art practice?in which artists have engaged with historical subject matter, methods, and inquiry?Blocker asks how the creation of the artist implicates and interrogates that of the art historian. She moves from art history to theater, to performance, and to literature as she investigates a series of works, including performances by the collaborative group Goat Island, the film \u003ci\u003eDeadpan\u003c\/i\u003e by Steve McQueen, the philosophies of science fiction writer Samuel Delany and documentary filmmaker Ross McElwee, the film\u003ci\u003e Amos Fortune Road \u003c\/i\u003eby Matthew Buckingham, and sculptures by Dario Robleto.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMany books have sought to understand the key directions of contemporary art. In contrast, \u003ci\u003eBecoming Past\u003c\/i\u003e is concerned with the application of art history in the pursuit of such trends. Setting the idea of temporality decisively in the realm of art, Blocker’s work is crucial for artists, art historians, curators, critics, and scholars of performance and cultural studies interested in the role of history in the practice of art.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of Minnesota Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47134917132528,"sku":"9781452944951","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781452944951_p0.jpg?v=1763847935","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781452944951","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}