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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.

Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol, from the Olympics and Olympic Ring Series (1983-5). 

Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol, from the Olympics and Olympic Ring Series (1983-5). 

Weekly Flipboard Links and Media Round Up

February 11, 2018

With the Winter Olympic games opening this past week in PyeongChang, we have been feeling very nostalgic here in Vancouver with memories of our 2010 moment. Taking time the past few days to watch the opening ceremonies, and some of the snowboarding, curling, hockey, and skating events where Canadians are already dominating, I have enjoyed learning more about the stories and backgrounds of many of the athletes. Indeed, there are many parallels between the art world and the world of athletics when you consider how difficult and limited access is to the very top echelon of both arenas. Working in the shadows, often under and/or unfunded, with only a few shots to reach a large audience through a memorable performance, emerging athletes and artists share many of the same anxieties and frustrations.  

Interestingly enough, one of the most fascinating and formative chapters of Jean Michel Basquiat's early career happened to coincide with an Olympic moment. In 1983, on the eve of the Olympic summer games in Los Angeles, Basquiat, a then up-and-coming artist began working closely with Andy Warhol on a series of collaborative paintings that were meant to help revive Warhol's career while helping boost Basquiat's cultural capital and fresh new artistic vision to the art establishment. Among their subjects was the Olympic games, and the paintings reflected both the highly visible and symbolic aspects of the games alongside that which was hidden or on the margins of Olympic history. In 2015, when the Gagosian Gallery in LA exhibited the series, the catalogue offered the following analysis:

"Warhol’s contribution to the collaborations can be seen in his distinctive technique of hand-painting ready-made iconography, an early practice that he revived with Basquiat. In the case of Olympic Rings, he made several variations of the Olympic five-ring symbol, rendered in the original primary colors. Basquiat responded to the abstract, stylized logos with his oppositional graffiti style. Between clusters of Warhol’s Olympic rings, he imposed a bold, dark, mask-like head, like a medallion in a link chain, undoubtedly an allusion to African-American star athletes of past Olympic Games, such as Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis, Tommie Smith, and John Carlos."

Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol, from the Olympics and Olympic Ring Series (1983-5). 

Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol, from the Olympics and Olympic Ring Series (1983-5). 

Just as Warhol's established pop art style is confronted by Basquiat's new take on urban graffiti in these paintings, we see the familiar art world push and pull between the old and new guard. It is this same dynamic that exists among athletes at the Olympic games-- the struggle to be seen and recognized-- the struggle to be the best. Enjoy the games this year, and enjoy this week's links!

"After the Nymphs Painting Backlash: Is Curatorial Activism a Right or an Obligation? Can a Critic Be an Activist?"
"After the Nymphs Painting Backlash: Is Curatorial Activism a Right or an Obligation? Can a Critic Be an Activist?"

frieze.com

"What Is the Art Exhibition of Your Dreams? "
"What Is the Art Exhibition of Your Dreams? "

artnet.com

"Can A Critic Be an Activist?"
"Can A Critic Be an Activist?"

slate.com

"Artists and Arts Workers Call on Institutions to Reject Calling Trump’s Border Wall Art "
"Artists and Arts Workers Call on Institutions to Reject Calling Trump’s Border Wall Art "

hyperallergic.com

"The Precarious, Glamorous Lives of Independent Curators"
"The Precarious, Glamorous Lives of Independent Curators"

artsy.net

‘We’re Tired of the Sweet Talk’: Prominent Group of Art-World Women Demands a Boycott of Artforum
‘We’re Tired of the Sweet Talk’: Prominent Group of Art-World Women Demands a Boycott of Artforum

artnet.com

"Jennifer Rubell Invites You to Throw a Pie in Her Face (Then Call Her on the Phone)"
"Jennifer Rubell Invites You to Throw a Pie in Her Face (Then Call Her on the Phone)"

vice.com

"Still Learning the Lessons of the ’60s"
"Still Learning the Lessons of the ’60s"

chronicle.com

"Open Letter to the Met RE: Admissions Policy"
"Open Letter to the Met RE: Admissions Policy"

thematerialcollective.org

"Is It Illegal to Eat a Work of Art? (PODCAST)"
"Is It Illegal to Eat a Work of Art? (PODCAST)"

arsty.net

"After the Nymphs Painting Backlash: Is Curatorial Activism a Right or an Obligation? Can a Critic Be an Activist?" "What Is the Art Exhibition of Your Dreams? " "Can A Critic Be an Activist?" "Artists and Arts Workers Call on Institutions to Reject Calling Trump’s Border Wall Art " "The Precarious, Glamorous Lives of Independent Curators" ‘We’re Tired of the Sweet Talk’: Prominent Group of Art-World Women Demands a Boycott of Artforum "Jennifer Rubell Invites You to Throw a Pie in Her Face (Then Call Her on the Phone)" "Still Learning the Lessons of the ’60s" "Open Letter to the Met RE: Admissions Policy" "Is It Illegal to Eat a Work of Art? (PODCAST)"
  • After the Nymphs Painting Backlash: Is Curatorial Activism a Right or an Obligation?
  • Can a Critic Be an Activist?
  • What Is the Art Exhibition of Your Dreams?
  • Artists and Arts Workers Call on Institutions to Reject Calling Trump’s Border Wall Art
  • The Precarious, Glamorous Lives of Independent Curators
  • ‘We’re Tired of the Sweet Talk’: Prominent Group of Art-World Women Demands a Boycott of Artforum
  • Jennifer Rubell Invites You to Throw a Pie in Her Face (Then Call Her on the Phone)
  • Still Learning the Lessons of the ’60s
  • Open Letter to the Met RE: Admissions Policy
  • Is It Illegal to Eat a Work of Art? (PODCAST)
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© Dorothy Barenscott, 2010-2025