Copy Culture: A Social Investigation
Instructor Pauline J. Yao
One can cite the presence of “fakes and copies” throughout recent contemporary art both in China and internationally. Indeed, acts of copying artworks and making fakes are omnipresent throughout Chinese art history, but are given new meaning in today's cultural and intellectual climate. As equalizing forces of globalization foster the spread of ideas and products across borders and societies, copying, fakes and piracy have become a way of life. Sophisticated technology and unique applications have brought the production of copies and fakes to a new level where they begin to resemble works of art. What does it mean to call something authentic or fake? Is copying and piracy a good thing or bad thing? How are we to consider the culture surrounding fakes in relation to contemporary art?
This intensive course is aimed to explore the eroding dichotomy between “fake” and “real,” and to examine the blurred lines between copying and piracy, flattery and fraud in contemporary art and society. Our goal will be to investigate the visual culture surrounding copying, fake products and piracy in China, and to note the ways in which “copy culture” blurs with artistic practice. We will read theoretical texts by Walter Benjamin and Jean Baudrillard on authenticity, simulation and simulacra and will look at examples of modern and contemporary international artists who have adopted a language of fakes and copying. Individual students or student groups will participate in interactive assignments based on field research and in-class presentations.
