The postmodern in Canadian visual arts had reached its zenith by the late 1980s. WhenRemembering Postmodernism was published just a few years later, it was perfectly poised to be the first detailed examination of this movement in Canadian art. Lauded as "groundbreaking" and "intelligent" by critics, Mark A. Cheetham's study focuses on memory as a central and recurring issue in the work of some forty leading Canadian artists, individual and collective. Among the artists discussed are Bruce Barber, Carl Beam, Ian Carr-Harris, Melvin Charney, Allyson Clay, Andy Fabo, Joe Fafard, General Idea, Angela Grauerholz, Janice Gurney, Barbara Steinman, and Joanne Tod.
Cheetham's discussion deals with postmodernism's relation to the art-historical past as well as its built-in retrospective construction of modernism, against which it defines itself. In addition, he explores such issues as the gender implications of art-historical remembering and the social and frequently political potentials of postmodern art. In her afterword, noted theorist Linda Hutcheon presents a broad overview situating Cheetham's detailed discussions within the on-going debates about postmodernism in Canada and internationally.
Illustrated with more than 30 color reproductions of paintings, sculptures, and installations, the second edition ofRemembering Postmodernism is an essential book for anyone concerned with the history of the visual arts in Canada in their international context.
