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Art Canadian

Tracings

Writing Art, 1975–2020

by (author) Ian Carr-Harris

introduction by Dan Adler

Publisher
Concordia University Press
Initial publish date
Nov 2024
Category
Canadian, Essays, Criticism & Theory, Contemporary (1945-)
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781988111513
    Publish Date
    Nov 2024
    List Price
    $69.95

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Description

An artist, curator, critic, and teacher, Ian Carr-Harris has been a central figure in Toronto’s art scene since the 1970s. By collecting his impressive output of essays, critical experiments, and reviews into a single volume, Tracings documents the growth of conceptual art and postmodernism in Canadian art, as well as the expansion of mediums and spaces, while providing insights into methods of representation and the role of criticism in contemporary art.

 

In clear and intelligent prose, Carr-Harris offers detailed studies of individual artists and exhibitions as well as theoretically informed reflections on broader cultural concerns. Whether writing about the complexities involved in the construction and transmission of knowledge, meaning, and historical narrative; discussing the material matters of government cultural funding, patronage, and artist-run centres; or describing his own process and artworks, these pieces reveal a literary love of language and a nuanced and investigative mind at work. Throughout his writing, he considers themes of identity, cultural nationalism, postcolonialism, institutionalism, the act of viewing, and relations of power.

 

An introduction by Dan Adler situates Carr-Harris’s work within the context of his contemporaries, collaborators, and cultural environment, pointing out the mutually reinforcing qualities and relationships between his art and his writing. Covering decades of critical thought and engagement, Tracings confirms why Ian Carr-Harris has indelibly written himself into Canadian art.

About the authors

Ian Carr-Harris' profile page

Dan Adler is Assistant Professor of Art History at York University in Toronto. His writings have appeared in Art History and Artforum. Born in Munich in 1941, Hanne Darboven has exhibited her work in the Documenta exhibitions 5, 6, and 7 and in the 40th Venice Biennale.

Dan Adler's profile page