Art offers global view of ideas

The periodic series was started in 1896.
By ALLISON SCHLESINGER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PITTSBURGH -- Their works are made of such things as oil on linen, ink on paper and canvas stretched on welded steel. The artists -- both men and women, young and old -- are from as far away as Thailand and as near as central Pennsylvania.
But the curator of the 2004-05 Carnegie International sees a commonality in the more than 400 works that were selected for the survey of contemporary art, which begins Saturday at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh.
Each work represents an artist's attempt to answer questions that philosophers have called "the ulitmates," which are "questions ranging from the nature of life and death, to the existence of God, to the anatomy of belief," said Laura Hoptman, who is also the museum's curator of contemporary art.
A different angle
Addressing such profound ideas is not a new notion in art, but the 54th installation of the Carnegie International tackles them from a different angle than past years' installations, Hoptman said. Instead of examining sweeping topics such as spirituality and identity as it pertains to a specific country or neighborhood, the artists take on a global view.
"In the past, the artists might have looked at politics on a micro level, like a specific country's politics. Now, they look at it from a macro level, like global politics," Hoptman said.
The five-month show is the latest in a periodic series that was started in 1896 by Pittsburgh industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who saw it as a means of collecting "the Old Masters of tomorrow." It's the world's second-oldest contemporary art exhibition -- younger only than the Venice Biennale.
Yes, there are other surveys of contemporary art around the world, but the Carnegie International always ranks near the top, said James Yood, an adjunct associate professor of art history at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
"The Carnegie International was one of the first of it kind. It has gravity now because it has been so successful over the century," Yood said.
Each Carnegie International installation has had a different curator since John Caldwell, the museum's first dedicated curator of contemporary art, stepped down following the 1988 exhibition.
Not intentional
This wasn't an intentional strategy, said Carnegie International spokeswoman Robin Dannahower, it's just that the curators had moved on. For example, Richard Armstrong, the curator of 1995 installation, is now the museum's director.
But the change of leadership has kept the survey fresh and unexpected, Yood said.
Over the years, curators have chosen both established artists and newer artists who have gone on to make their mark, he said.
"For emerging artists ... it can have extraordinary impact on their career and represents one of their first major successes," Yood said.
The installation marks the U.S. museum debut for five artists, including London artist Jeremy Deller, who designed shirts and bags for the installation. Twenty-eight of the 38 participating artists will unveil new projects.
The survey is more diverse than ever when it comes to the backgrounds of the artists and their works, which range from paintings and sculpture to film and animation, Hoptman said.
Andrew Carnegie's goal when he established the exhibit was broad enough that the installations continue to meet his ideals, she said.
"The Carnegie International reflects on the current discourse, but it also moves the discourse forward," Hoptman said.
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