Art & Globalism / Art & Its Institutions

1. Art & Globalism: Juan Munoz and Antony Gormley create sculptural installations that describe the "pathology of the crowd." Munoz bases his figures on Chinese terra-cotta warriors; Gormley casts his own body out of lead. By using one figure and repeating it, Munoz and Gormley are able to comment on the human condition. What if this "crowd" of figures were more like a real crowd, cast from a variety of shapes and sizes? Would the lack of homogenization curb the effectiveness of the installation? What if the figures were female? Would they have the same effect?

 

2. Art & Globalism: Lothar Baumgarten wrote the names of disappearing tribes on the interior of the Guggenheim. How effective is America: Invention? Can an outsider speak for a group, especially a group that isn't represented? Because Baumgarten is an outsider, does that diminish the persuasiveness of his voice? 

3. Art & Globalism: What is the difference between globalism and globalization? 

Globalism: The attitude or policy of placing the interests of the entire world above those of individual nations

Globalization: The tendency of investment funds and businesses to move beyond domestic and national markets to other markets around the globe, thereby increasing the interconnectedness of different markets.

Globalization seems to imply a more single-minded movement outward, an expansion of one country that overtakes another. Globalism implies a more mutual connection in which no one country gets lost or overlooked. Globalization also seems to be based more on economics, whereas globalism seems to refer to more cultural aspects.

4. Art & Its Institutions: In the Museum of Jurassic Technology, a micro-miniature portrait of Pope John Paul II is displayed. The portrait is carved from a human hair and placed in the eye of a needle. Where is the line between technology and art? Can it still be distinguished?

5. Art & Its Institutions: Performance artist Andrea Fraser auctioned herself off as a sexual partner to a collector in 2003.  What are the ethical ramifications of this performance? How does ethics play into the question of what is art?