Art and Postmodernism Conference 2016

Article

Featuring Damien Hirst and Banksy, this month long conference includes lectures, exhibitions and a final modern art performance during the month of November.

A student examining a piece of art at an exhibition. — Art and Postmodernism 2015 Exhibition

We are hosting the annual Art and Postmodernism 2016 conference this November. It will feature speakers and artists from all across the world including Damien Hirst and Banksy to discuss the impact of postmodernism on art today. We are growing each year and including more and more speakers and student exhibitions from across Goldsmiths.

About postmodernism

The difficulty of defining postmodernism as a concept stems from its wide usage in a range of cultural and critical movements since the 1970s. Postmodernism describes not only a period but also a set of ideas, and can only be understood in relation to another equally complex term: modernism.

Modernism was a diverse art and cultural movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries whose common thread was a break with tradition, epitomised by poet Ezra Pound’s 1934 injunction to “make it new!”.

The “post” in postmodern suggests “after”. Postmodernism is best understood as a questioning of the ideas and values associated with a form of modernism that believes in progress and innovation. Modernism insists on a clear divide between art and popular culture.

But like modernism, postmodernism does not designate any one style of art or culture. On the contrary, it is often associated with pluralism and an abandonment of conventional ideas of originality and authorship in favour of a pastiche of “dead” styles.

Schedule of events

1 November 2016

Welcome

A welcome talk from the academic lecturers of our department including Professor Steve McQueen explaining what post-modernism is and how it affects art in the modern day. We will also introduce some of the key events around the monthly conference and what not to miss.

12-1pm

Lecture: What is post-modernism?

Confused about what post-modernism even is? We go through it in detail with speakers Angela Davis and Betty White. If you've always wanted to know what post-modernism is but have been really confused in English classes because professors don't really explain it well enough, then these two will break it down for you. At the end of the talk, you may just end up thinking that post-modernism is just another bourgeoise concept irrelvant to the vast majority of the working class, but at least you'll get it.

2-4pm

Debate: What is art even?

Modern art is confusing. If I draw a scratchy line with a Byro on a loo roll and say it represents the Industrial Revolution, who are you to argue? But I think we can all agree that when we pay some amount of money to visit an art museum, seeing a bunch of random scratching meant to imbibe us with some artists' sad, traumatised soul, we all feel a bit cheated. So we'll break it down here. What is art and what is just overhyped posturing? You'll answer these questions in this lively debate.

4-6pm

Our speakers

This event will bring a number of influential speakers to discuss art and postmodernism. This year our speakers include Ross McGill, founder of @TeacherToolkit and David MacKay, Quality, Standards & Research at Edexcel. The programme will focus on how teachers and advisers can provide support for young people in the midst of curriculum reforms and changes in the higher education landscape. Join us to receive a post-election sector update from our external speakers and find out more about the exciting course developments at Goldsmiths.

About Ross McGill

McGill is a deputy headteacher working in a well-known inner-city school in North London. He is responsible for improving quality of teaching and learning and has a national profile as the leading contributor and organiser of online CPD within a growing community of education professionals.

He is frequently asked to speak at national conferences and is regularly asked to reflect on educational developments in various newspapers about education policy.

Damien Hirst

About Damien Hirst

Death is a central theme in Hirst's works. He became famous for a series of artworks in which dead animals (including a shark, a sheep and a cow) are preserved—sometimes having been dissected—in formaldehyde. The best known of these being The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, a 14-foot (4.3 m) tiger shark immersed in formaldehyde in a vitrine (clear display case). He has also made "spin paintings," created on a spinning circular surface, and "spot paintings", which are rows of randomly coloured circles created by his assistants.

In September 2008, he took an unprecedented move for a living artist by selling a complete show, Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, at Sotheby's by auction and bypassing his long-standing galleries. The auction exceeded all predictions, raising £111 million ($198 million), breaking the record for a one-artist auction as well as Hirst's own record with £10.3 million for The Golden Calf, an animal with 18-carat gold horns and hooves, preserved in formaldehyde.

Damien's Conference Blog

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David MacKay

About David MacKay

Responsible for 14-19 curriculum and qualification developments in science, in particular for general qualifications in chemistry, geology and psychology, general vocational qualifications in science and entry level qualifications in science. Also shared responsibility for GCSE qualifications in science. Achievements included development of the subject criteria for the GCSE in Applied Science, the Advanced Extension Award in Chemistry and the GCE AS/A level in Applied Science

Booking your tickets

Watch our talks online

Can't make it to the exhibitions or talks? Don't worry, the conference talks will be streamed online. Watch the live stream at www.gold.ac.uk during the conference.

Artist registration

All artists presenting must register their attendance. Location to be confirmed nearer the time.

Guest tickets

Artists and exhibitioners can collect guest tickets when registering. Please note that that artists and/or guests cannot collect tickets on behalf of another artist.

Offical programme

Download the full offical programme (PDF download) or see the programme online.

Seating

All attending artists and guests will be allocated seating in the Great Hall. To ensure the conferences can start on time all graduating students and guests must be seated half an hour before the exhibition start.

Photography

Tempest, our official photographer will be located in the Richard Hoggart Building, just follow the signs. Do not take photos yourselves.

Refreshments

Loafers Café is open from 9am, serving coffee, sandwiches and snacks. Fast filter coffee and snacks will be available in the Refectory from 9am. The Professor Stuart Hall Building Café will serve coffee, sandwiches and light snacks from 9am.

Post-Exhibition reception

After the exhibition we invite you to the graduation marquee on the College Green, where sparkling wine and canapés will be served.

Our 2015 Conference

In 2015, we had an amazing conference, but it was just a few talks and an exhibition. This year's conference will be much more interesting with many more events. Housed within the city’s largest ever, architect-designed temporary structure, last year's conference set the bar, with a strong line up of galleries and an ambitious program that championed both art and postmodernism. Damien Hirst headlined the fair’s program with a series of talks and panel discussions to be held daily at the fair, once again curated by Goldsmiths' Art Department. Conference Director Maree Ann Smith said, "From must-see installations to performance and considered roundtable discussions, the conference has been built with everyone from the art interested public to the seasoned international collector in mind".