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This exhibition will feature a selection of postmodern porcelains that embody the best characteristics of the genre.

The term “postmodern” refers to art made mostly in the 1980s and 90s that is not governed by a dominating ideology, but instead appropriates elements from different artistic traditions and recombines them in often playful and ironic ways. Although some postmodern art can be facile and pretentious, the best examples draw attention to aspects of or connections between artistic traditions that may not have been carefully scrutinized before.

Because of its long and varied history, porcelain provides particularly rich material for artists interested in the postmodern strategies of appropriation, manipulation and reinterpretation. The association of porcelain with elite culture and with the rituals of food and drink offer ample opportunity for unexpected juxtapositions and humorous inversions. At the same time, the production of porcelain requires considerable technical skill and carries a higher than average chance of failure. Therefore, far from being an easy postmodernist target, porcelain is a challenging medium that seems to encourage more creative work from the artists.

This exhibition will feature a selection of postmodern porcelains that embody the best characteristics of the genre. By displaying the postmodern pieces in a space surrounded by historical porcelains, the exhibition will amplify the allusions to tradition and, it is hoped, inspire visitors to look more closely at and think more carefully about both the historical and the contemporary objects.

Getting there:

For more information contact: Gardiner Museum
Phone: 416-586-8080
Email: mail@gardinermuseum.com

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