Introduction to the Special Issue on Contemporary Art Conservation

Aesthetics, as both a variety of practices and a field of research, has now begun a journey toward society and more applied thinking – that is, how can art, art thinking, and different forms of sensuousness interact with or interfere in societal contexts. In this special issue of InFormation we explore the frame of a possible contemporary art didactics, where knowledge production and dispersion in and through art and aesthetics are promoted. Here the qualities of responding to societal needs and challenges are negotiated with the particular qualities of art. The field of didactics is often tied to specific teaching methods, but can also be seen as a more general theory of learning. With the term ‘contemporary art didactics’, we want to propose a relational field of communication and interaction based on aesthetic activity and competence. In addition, we seek to emphasize the contemporary quality and engagement of this activity and competence. In this first article by the editor of the issue, some of the related discussions on application, autonomy and criticality are presented alongside a proposition to formulate certain specific art based qualities.

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Afterword: An exhibition about hospitality. A more sensitive perception of vulnerability

Crossings Journal of Migration and Culture ◽

10.1386/cjmc_00038_1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 379-385

Author(s):

Fabienne Brugère

Keyword(s):

Contemporary Art ◽

Cultural Production ◽

The Political ◽

Special Issue ◽

Art Exhibition ◽

Aesthetics And Politics ◽

Art Forms ◽

History Of ◽

Political Right ◽

Ethics And Politics

This afterword reflects on the tension between art, politics and philosophy at the thematic core of this Special Issue, ‘Migrants and Refugees Between Aesthetics and Politics’. Brugère calls attention to a recent art exhibition – one that came out of her book with Guillaume Le Blanc, The End of Hospitality – at the Museum of the History of Immigration, in Paris, as a way to frame a conflict between two ideas of hospitality, or the broad ethical gesture to welcome others and the political right that more and more governments are unable to uphold as borders tighten around the globe. The afterword elaborates on the aims of the exhibition, namely, to show ‘a correspondence between art and philosophy on the question of hospitality’. Rather than a mere representation of discourse around migration, the artwork displays a praxis of the imagination, one in which cultural production by and about refugees brings spectators to recognize a shared sense of vulnerability and to question received ideas on migration. In this manner, contemporary art forms become an essential link in the ongoing struggle between ethics and politics.

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Special issue: Contemporary art, identities and legacies of the Pacific

Journal of New Zealand & Pacific Studies ◽

10.1386/nzps.5.2.127_2 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 127-129

Author(s):

Corinne David-Ives ◽

Jacqueline Charles-Rault ◽

Caroline Vercoe

Keyword(s):

Contemporary Art ◽

Special Issue ◽

The Pacific

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Corrections to Special Issue on Art Conservation

Accounts of Chemical Research ◽

10.1021/ar100124r ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 44 (3) ◽

pp. 238-239 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Keyword(s):

Art Conservation ◽

Special Issue

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Towards Sustainable Museum Conservation Practices: A Study on the Surface Cleaning of Contemporary Art and Design Objects with the Use of Biodegradable Agents

Heritage ◽

10.3390/heritage4030115 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 2023-2043

Author(s):

Elli Kampasakali ◽

Theodora Fardi ◽

Eleni Pavlidou ◽

Dimitrios Christofilos

Keyword(s):

Contemporary Art ◽

Surface Cleaning ◽

Ionic Surfactant ◽

Art Conservation ◽

Art And Design ◽

Cleaning Agents ◽

Design Objects ◽

Cleaning Methods ◽

Surface Examination ◽

Cleaning Efficacy

Green contemporary art conservation cleaning methods are explored as sustainable museum practices, ensuring the conservator’s health and reducing the environmental impact. The performance of selected biodegradable cleaning agents, namely deionised (DI) water, a chelate based on trisodium salt of methylglycinediacetic acid (MGDA), Trilon® M, a non-ionic surfactant based on alkoxylated fatty alcohols (Plurafac® LF900), and two solvents, limonene and ethyl lactate, was evaluated for the surface cleaning of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polylactic acid (PLA), polypropylene (PP), and plasticized polyvinyl chloride (pPVC). Plastic mockups were used untreated or artificially soiled, simulating particulate matter or sebum stains produced by handling. Furthermore, the efficacy of ink removal from the plastic’s surface was evaluated. Surface examination was carried out using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), while μ-Raman and gloss measurements complemented the cleaning assessment methodology. The cleaning agents’ potency depends on the type of plastic, precluding a general cleaning protocol. However, their cleaning efficacy is very promising, enriching the available choices for the cleaning of plastics, using sustainable materials and practices. This study offers valuable information to the conservation field regarding the effects of the selected biodegradable cleaning agents on each type of plastic, their application method, and their cleaning efficacy for the removal of different types of soil and ink.

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The Cat and the Owl: Remembering Chris Marker

October ◽

10.1162/octo_a_00189 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 149 ◽

pp. 181-191

Author(s):

Paul Chan

Keyword(s):

Contemporary Art ◽

Tea Party ◽

Right Wing ◽

Special Issue ◽

The Us ◽

Right Wing Populism ◽

Familial Relations ◽

Chris Marker

In October 2010, I emailed Chris to ask if he was interested in taking part in a special issue of E-flux Journal that art critic Sven Lütticken and I were editing. The issue focused on whether contemporary art had addressed the rise of right-wing populism in Europe, the US, and elsewhere, and how these largely nationalistic, homophobic, and xenophobic movements impacted culture and art. With the ascendance of the Tea Party, Sven and I wondered if it were possible to chart a genealogy of right-wing groups on both sides of the Atlantic and illuminate their familial relations.

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