Recent Pasts: Art In Southern California From The 1990S To Now

This first volume of a series of anthologies, each based on a symposium held in Los Angeles by a consortium of the art schools of Southern California, brings out some heavy hitters for its inaugural number. A cross-disciplinary endeavor, the contributors include Mike Davis, author of City of Quartz and winner of a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant; novelist Dennis Cooper (“the most important transgressive literary artist since William S. Burroughs,” according to Salon); artist Diana Thater; artist and ambient DJ Dave Muller; and Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles Curator Connie Butler. This publication presents an essential assessment of the vital and influential art scene in Southern California since 1990. Contemplating the sociopolitical context, the available cultural tools and the importance of certain Californian artists both on an aesthetic level and as teachers, the book offers perspectives on the singular Southern California art scene.