Art After Modernism: Rethinking Representation, edited by Brian Wallis

This seminal book, comprised of twenty-five essays, explores the evolving landscape of contemporary art in the post-modern era, marking a critical shift in art discourse by examining the rejection of modernist principles and the emergence of new artistic paradigms. The essays collected here discuss how artists began to embrace a more pluralistic approach, drawing from diverse traditions and mediums and challenging traditional hierarchies and categories. The book highlights elements of the postmodern framework that were here to stay, especially looking at work through a diverse set of lenses in careful context and the production of work through various media. This book is particularly significant for the development of digital art because it helped establish the intellectual framework for understanding art in the digital age. It laid the groundwork for appreciating digital art’s departure from traditional forms, highlighting the importance of interactivity, non-linearity and the fusion of art and technology, which reflect its roots in lumino-kinetic art and op art.