Anachrony, Contemporaneity, and Historical Imagination

by Jacob Lund

An argument for “the contemporary contemporary” as the point of departure for any anachronic relationship with time today.

Taking its point of departure in an “anachronic” exhibition, Soulèvements (2016–18), this book is a theoretical exploration of how the notion of contemporaneity—understood as the coming together of different times in the same historical present—relates to the end of a certain history of art. Critical of hitherto dominant chronological, ahistorical, and/or culturally restricted notions of the contemporary, Lund's overall aim is to make an argument for “the contemporary contemporary” as the point of departure for any anachronic relationship with time today, and as the inescapable point of departure for any possible historical imagination.

38 pages, Paperback

Published June 20, 2019

Reviews

[Lila Sandu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even as someone without much of a bearing on art historical theory this got me thinking a lot about the nature of not just contemporary art but “contemporary” as it applies to every progressing school of thought (philosophy especially). As people continue to try dissecting the meta-modern from the post-post-modern from whatever it is that comes next it’s refreshing to see a voice suggesting that maybe this whole system of constant movement categorization just isn’t that helpful anymore.

[Goldfinch Bolton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it a lot! Very approachable as far as critical theory goes. Excited to read more in the series