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Avant-Guardian Musings

  • Spring 2025
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“Art is an outlet toward regions which are not ruled by time and space”
— Marcel Duchamp

Avant-Guardian Musings is a curated space of ideas and information, resources, reviews and readings for undergraduate and graduate students studying modern and contemporary art history and visual art theory, film and photography studies, and the expanding field of visual culture and screen studies. For students currently enrolled in my courses or the field school, the blog and associated social media links also serve as a place of reflection and an extension of the ideas and visual material raised in lecture and seminar discussion.

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Blog
From the Archives | How (And Why) To Take Excellent Lecture Notes
From the Archives | How (And Why) To Take Excellent Lecture Notes
about 10 months ago
Weekly Musings + Round Up... And A Few More Things
Weekly Musings + Round Up... And A Few More Things
about 2 years ago
Weekly Musings + Round Up... And A Few More Things
about 2 years ago
Weekly Musings + Round Up... And A Few More Things
Weekly Musings + Round Up... And A Few More Things
about 2 years ago
Top 10 Modern and Contemporary Art Exhibitions Worth Visiting In 2023
Top 10 Modern and Contemporary Art Exhibitions Worth Visiting In 2023
about 2 years ago

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Delighted to find these iconic Tom Ford Whitney’s deep in my closet over the weekend ✨☀️🕶️Anyone else remember these sunglasses from back in the day? I want to say these are well over 15 years old and they were a very big splurge, but I loved
Delighted to find these iconic Tom Ford Whitney’s deep in my closet over the weekend ✨☀️🕶️Anyone else remember these sunglasses from back in the day? I want to say these are well over 15 years old and they were a very big splurge, but I loved rediscovering and wearing them today. Great design is timeless. Invest in things you love— your future self will thank you✨ . . . #tomford #sunglasses #tomfordwhitney #whatiwore #shamelessselfie
If Seoul was a colour, it would be neon and bright, and if it was a shape, it would be curved and post-structural.
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#artanddesign #odetoacity #urban #seoul #korea #design #contemporaryart #architecture
If Seoul was a colour, it would be neon and bright, and if it was a shape, it would be curved and post-structural. . . . #artanddesign #odetoacity #urban #seoul #korea #design #contemporaryart #architecture
Visited the stunning Leeum Museum of Art today and took in the spatial delights of Korean architecture married to modern art. What I love most is how the familiar European and American “masters” (i.e. Rodin, Giacometti, Rauschenberg, Hess
Visited the stunning Leeum Museum of Art today and took in the spatial delights of Korean architecture married to modern art. What I love most is how the familiar European and American “masters” (i.e. Rodin, Giacometti, Rauschenberg, Hesse, Flavin, Rothko, Andre, Lewitt, Stella, etc…) are curated both in dialogue with Korean modern artists such as Lee Ufan and Kim Chong-yung, but also in juxtaposition to the beautiful natural setting that is showcased through large windows throughout the complex. A must see gallery if you visit Seoul. . . . #seoul #korea #modernart #contemporaryart #koreanart #arthistory
Flaneur for the day in Seoul ✨🇰🇷 A global city of high contrast, beauty, and living history around every corner.
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#seoul #korea #flaneur #daytripping #streetart #contemporaryart #modernart #urbanart #arthistory #urban #globalcity
Flaneur for the day in Seoul ✨🇰🇷 A global city of high contrast, beauty, and living history around every corner. . . . #seoul #korea #flaneur #daytripping #streetart #contemporaryart #modernart #urbanart #arthistory #urban #globalcity
Hello Seoul! 🇰🇷🛬✨안녕하세요 서울 Lucky me, I am incredibly excited to have arrived in South Korea today and staying smack dab in the middle of the stylish Gangnam District at the COEX Conference Centre. It is my first time in this beautiful city and I ca
Hello Seoul! 🇰🇷🛬✨안녕하세요 서울 Lucky me, I am incredibly excited to have arrived in South Korea today and staying smack dab in the middle of the stylish Gangnam District at the COEX Conference Centre. It is my first time in this beautiful city and I cannot wait to begin exploring, especially the contemporary art and design scene. I am here to attend and give a paper at the #IPSA2025 International Political Science Association World Congress, the largest global gathering of researchers and academics working on all things political and international relations oriented. IPSA as an academic association was founded under the auspices of UNESCO in 1949 and is devoted to the advancement of political science in all parts of the world and promotes collaboration between scholars in both established and emerging democracies. The 2025 Conference theme is “Resisting Autocratization in Polarized Societies” and I was invited to present a paper on my ongoing work on Trumpism, the neo avante-garde, and visual culture on a panel examining the role of cultural actors during periods of democratic backsliding. I only had a few hours after I arrived to my hotel to check out COEX, but I had to see the world famous library housed inside the shopping complex. It was a very cool sight for a book nerd like me 🤓 . . . #seoul #korea #southkorea #politicalscience #arthistory #academiclife #conference @kpuarts @kwantlenu

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© Dorothy Barenscott, Avant-Guardian Musings, and dorothybarenscott.com, 2010-2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Dorothy Barenscott, Avant-Guardian Musings, and dorothybarenscott.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Vito Acconci, Theme Song (1973). Visionary avant-garde artist Acconci sadly passed away this week at the age of 77.

Vito Acconci, Theme Song (1973). Visionary avant-garde artist Acconci sadly passed away this week at the age of 77.

Weekly Flipboard Links and Media Roundup

April 30, 2017

I found myself feeling very wistful this past week learning of Vito Acconci's death. I had finished reading a series of wonderful articles only a week earlier related to the passing of Glenn O'Brien (New York writer, art critic, Warhol Factory regular-- in fact it is impossible to describe O'Brien, so I point you to this article), and then reading a great piece about Laurie Anderson and her life in the NYC art world, especially of the 1960's-80's (in the links this week), and it hit me that the era and associated artists that have had such a tremendous impact on the art world of the past several decades are etched into my imaginary as forever young. The fact that so many important artists are aging and passing should not come as such a shock, but I think it is a testament to how visionary and "modern" (in the here and now sense of the word) so many of these artists are, and then, were. Each year when I teach the sections on video and performance art in my contemporary art history courses, I screen Acconci's Theme Song and delight with the students in being seduced and simultaneously creeped out by Acconci's "come on" in his video work. And even though the piece was completed in 1973, it is even more relevant and present for today's audiences than it was over four decades ago. The notion of technology and the screen intersecting with an intimate and personal encounter was revolutionary at a time well before the invention of the Internet, social media, and online dating. And as a performance artist, Acconci pushed his audiences into the uncomfortable arena of the direct encounter, the spaces of interaction, and the consideration of the body as medium. I am glad that I can continue to introduce Acconci and countless other artists' works from the important period of the 1960's-80's and only hope that their avant-garde and countercultural legacy is as inspiring to a new generation as it was to mine. Have a great week, and enjoy the links :)

"Laurie Anderson’s Glorious, Chaotic New York"
"Laurie Anderson’s Glorious, Chaotic New York"

nytimes.com

"An Artist’s Mythic Rebellion for the Venice Biennale"
"An Artist’s Mythic Rebellion for the Venice Biennale"

nytimes.com

"Vito Acconci, 1940–2017"
"Vito Acconci, 1940–2017"

vulture.com

"Let them eat art! Dissent on DOCUMENTA 14’s Periphery"
"Let them eat art! Dissent on DOCUMENTA 14’s Periphery"

artslant.com

"This Five-Star Paris Hotel Gives You Insider Access to the Art World"
"This Five-Star Paris Hotel Gives You Insider Access to the Art World"

artsy.net

"Smarthistory: Morisot, The Cradle, 1872 (VIDEO)"
"Smarthistory: Morisot, The Cradle, 1872 (VIDEO)"

smarthistory

"VernissageTV: Art Cologne 2017 (VIDEO)"
"VernissageTV: Art Cologne 2017 (VIDEO)"

VernissageTV

"An Artist’s Meditation on Color Reveals a Secret History of Film"
"An Artist’s Meditation on Color Reveals a Secret History of Film"

newyorker.com

"New Smithsonian Show Mines the Rich History of Cat Art—Before the Meme"
"New Smithsonian Show Mines the Rich History of Cat Art—Before the Meme"

artnet.com

"The Visceral, Woman-Centric Horror of The Handmaid's Tale"
"The Visceral, Woman-Centric Horror of The Handmaid's Tale"

theatlantic.com

"Laurie Anderson’s Glorious, Chaotic New York" "An Artist’s Mythic Rebellion for the Venice Biennale" "Vito Acconci, 1940–2017" "Let them eat art! Dissent on DOCUMENTA 14’s Periphery" "This Five-Star Paris Hotel Gives You Insider Access to the Art World" "Smarthistory: Morisot, The Cradle, 1872 (VIDEO)" "VernissageTV: Art Cologne 2017 (VIDEO)" "An Artist’s Meditation on Color Reveals a Secret History of Film" "New Smithsonian Show Mines the Rich History of Cat Art—Before the Meme" "The Visceral, Woman-Centric Horror of The Handmaid's Tale"
  • Laurie Anderson’s Glorious, Chaotic New York
  • An Artist’s Mythic Rebellion for the Venice Biennale
  • Vito Acconci, 1940–2017
  • Let them eat art! Dissent on DOCUMENTA 14’s Periphery
  • This Five-Star Paris Hotel Gives You Insider Access to the Art World
  • Smarthistory: Morisot, The Cradle, 1872 (VIDEO)
  • VernissageTV: Art Cologne 2017 (VIDEO)
  • An Artist’s Meditation on Color Reveals a Secret History of Film
  • New Smithsonian Show Mines the Rich History of Cat Art—Before the Meme
  • The Visceral, Woman-Centric Horror of The Handmaid's Tale
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© Dorothy Barenscott, 2010-2025