Identity Theft: The Cultural Colonisation of Contemporary Art

This engaging collection examines the complex socio-political forces that have powerfully influenced, for better or worse, the production of visual art in our postcolonial and globalized world. Drawing on case studies from around the world—from the work of exiled Iranian and Palestinian artists to the architectural reconstruction of Berlin following World War II to modern Nigerian art—Identity Theft asks important and highly topical questions about the transformed meanings of the concepts of art and identity in an era dominated by the rapid globalization of cultural production and economy of the art world. Proposing that much recent art contributes to radical critique of art history’s imperial origins—while taking full advantage of the globalizing structures of the trade left in imperialism’s wake—this volume is of interest to any student or academic of modern art.