Conference: Tainted Goods - Contemporary Sculpture and the Critique of Display Cultures

May 10, 2012 to May 11, 2012, 10:30-6PM

Among the most challenging of contemporary art practices are sculptures that comprise sprawling accumulations of objects. Straying from the cultures of monumentality, cutting-edge technologies and crowd-pleasing spectacles associated with the globalized industry of “installation art”, the sculptural works of particular concern in Tainted Goods subvert display cultures by provoking viewing experiences that are neither seamless nor easily consumed.

This conference brings together Canadian and European scholars, theorists and curators of contemporary art to investigate and debate this practice. Reflecting on the experience of specific artworks and exhibitions, presenters will explore the forms and aesthetic demands placed on the viewer of such “tainted” sculptural works, seeking to develop a broader range of esthetic models through which these sculptures can be understood to function critically.

The conference opens with a keynote address by Prof. Diedrich Diederichsen of the Institute for Art History and Cultural Studies, Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, at the University of Toronto on May 10, and moves to York University for a full day of presentations May 11.

For program details, presenters and abstracts, visit the website.

Tainted Goods is convened by Prof. Daniel Adler (Department of Visual Arts/Canadian Centre for German and European Studies, York University) and Barbara Fischer (Director, Visual Studies: Curatorial Studies and Executive Director/Chief Curator, Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, University of Toronto with the support of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

The conference is open to the public and admission is free, but registration is required.

To register: http://taintedgoods.eventbrite.ca/.