-'Postmodernism' is not easy to define.
-The term is used in philosophy, literature, social sciences and architecture. (but mainly social sciences)
-It's one of those vague academic terms which are really quite open to interpretation and debating amongst people who specialize in the area of social sciences. "Different postmodern thinkers may have different opinions, and people from different fields might have somewhat different definitions of 'postmodernism'" - A. Saugstad
-If modernism is Batman, then postmodernism is the Joker. Batman wants to ensure that there's peace and order and a proper financial infrastructure in Gotham city, whereas the Joker just wants to do as he feels because he believes that anything goes, and that there is no absolute truth, and therefore no actual rules and ethics.
-The above bullet point is actiually too black and white because the 'postmodern is deliberately vague as a concept' (ALVC Textbook)
-"'Postmodernism' is related to 'relativism'. Relativism is the idea that anything goes." - A. Saugstad
So in some aspects of postmodernism, there is a thought that everythiong is relative to one's own perceptions. That is to say that one cannot say with any actual certainty that the sky is actually blue, because 'blue' could be just a perception in one own's mind. So again, the whole thing is really vague.
-There's constructive and de-constructive postmodernism. De-constructive postmodernism is very nihilistic in the sense that it deems everything to be meaningless because everything is relative to the perceptions of the individual. And constructive postmodernism is looking for some way to restore structure and stability by unifying the systematic and machine-like progressions of a modernist society with pre-modern values of divinely wrought truths and cosmic and spiritual philosophies about nature and harmony and things like that.
-Postmodernism introduces the idea of there being no grand narrative. The idea that people are constantly evolving in their own vaccuums, and are forming their own ideas about reality. i.e. a majority of the population believed in god, but postmodernism encouraged plurasim -"A theory that there is more than one basic substance or principle." (Dictionary.com)
SUMMARY OF THE FEATURES OF POSMODERNITY:
society being shaped by the simulations presented through the media, a dominance of pop culture over high culture, no grand narrative-people delevop their perceptions independently and relative to their own perceptions, there's often a fascination with irony and self awareness, and artist became more interested in exploring with new materials and methods, and the process often became more interesting than the result as a finished piece. Post modernity artists were super interested in making statements whenever they could, social, political, etc
THE POSTMODERN ARTIST:
I guess in a way we could say that the postmodern artist is very self-absorbed. That is to say that he/she seems to be very interested in expressing their own perceptions about their own perceptions. In a way they seem to be saying something along the lines of: "Hey chicks! Look at me and look at how deep I am, thinking about our world and our cultural perceptions and stuff. That's why I painted a soup can because I am really creative and I understand that everything can be turned into an ironic statement about our culture and the progress of humanity , and the fact that everything is relative in our own minds."
AI WAIWEI'S HAN DYNASTY URN WITH COCA COLA LOGO:
During his time studying in New York, Ai Waiwei was heavily influenced by the likes of Dada, Duchamp, and Warhol. I guess in this particular piece, we can see how Waiwei may have been channeling a little Warhol in the sense that Warhol liked to use prominent cultural icons in an irreverent fashion, to create quirky subtexts about society. So Waiwei is perhaps using that playful postmodernist approach to show how traditional chinese culture both clashes and blends with the bold and colourful contrast of western culture, which is in keeping with the postmodern theme of pop culture over high culture. It's showing that no matter what the cultural background and socio-political parameters will be, society will always be influenced by the prevalent pop culture of the times.
I guess this work is also postmodernist in the sense that it's a personal expression. He's essentially expressing his own perspective, which a lot of postmodern art tends to do. Someone like Monet by comparison, wasn't trying to express himself in some quirky way. He was simply trying to capture the feeling of a particular kind of light hitting a courtyard on a summer afternoon, or something like that. Postmodernist artist by contrast, always seem to be trying to express what they think about society in some deep and meaningful, playfully abstract, and masterfully poetic way.
A lot of Ai Waiwei's work was in fact a personal reaction to the depressed state of China's art community after Tiananmen square.
BANKSY:
This work by by british street artist Banksy is postmodern because it's a statement. It's deep and political and social and stuff.
“Los Angeles” is also postmodernist because it's also a statement, which is very much in keeping with the postmodernist movement's penchant for making bold statements. There's all sorts of stuff going on here, fast food, consumerism, natural cave man, social critique, etc.
Both the Banksey works pictured above are also postmodern in the sense that they are street art, which means that the process, or in this case the medium, becomes as much a part of the art as the artwork itself. The very placement of it is designed to become part of the statement somehow.
References:
Chris, I like how you say that the process, and in this case, the medium that Banksy uses is just as much apart of the art work as the image itself. Post modern art is all about progress, exploration and experimentation in regards to using and new methods, techniques and materials.
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