PARADISE NOW ? - CONTEMPORARY ART
by Asia Society (9781869535841)

The Pacific Islands occupy a place in the imagination as a paradise filled with idyllic beaches and lush tropical landscapes inhabited by dusky maidens. With historical precedents in the accounts of European explorers, these perceptions were later reinvented and popularised by Hollywood films in the twenties through the fifties. Contemporary artists from New Zealand and the Pacific Islands frequently play with and invert such perceptions, but their work also provides an alternate, more complex vision of the region. Working in video, installation, sculpture, painting, and photography, they show the Pacific Islands from an insider's perspective. Themes addressed in their works include environmental concerns, cultural heritage issues, questions relating to the experience of migration and diaspora, and the intersection of indigenous belief systems and Western religions. Presenting artistic trends that are little known outside of the region, this book has been published to coincide with the first major exhibition of contemporary Pacific art in the United States, Paradise Now? Contemporary Art from the Pacific. Four essays by leading authors of the field provide an overview of recent dev

USD $29.22

   Dispatch: 3 to 7 business days, stock levels permitting