Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Postmodernism isn't Postmodern

From an email I sent to the curator/critic/writer Clarissa Chikiamco. Some of my best stuff might come out of writing/talking to friends. Forces me to sum up things as quickly and clearly as I can:

Something I noticed: postmodern criticism isn't postmodern! By which I mean its writers generally position themselves in relation to a French canon of ideas. Postmodernism however, (as I understand it) relativises the idea of canon. Which means it SHOULD be possible to write criticism from a completely different set of assumptions, context! To write, I dunno, Punk Animist Socialist criticism and begin with an invocation to a bulul in the pantry or something.