The Ungovernables captures the perspectives, preoccupations, and
experiences of an inventive and informed generation born from the
mid-1970s to the mid-1980s- a generation who came of age in the
aftermath of the independence and revolutionary movements that
promised to topple Western colonialism but became mired in military
dictatorships, the emergence of integrated world capitalism,
regional and global economic crises, the rise of fundamentalism,
and international interventions and failures to intervene. Faced
with this somewhat bleak inheritance, artists in The Ungovernables
embrace their complex relationship to history and assert a
remarkable patience, pragmatism, and resolve in their work. The
volume accompanying this important exhibition features thirty-four
artists and artist collectives working in painting, sculpture,
drawing, performance, video, and other activities. Through
explorations of form, objecthood, material, and temporality,
artists in The Ungovernables negotiate time and their experience of
our contemporary moment, often demonstrating a profound mistrust of
permanence. Many of the works are provisional, site-specific, and
performative, reflecting an attitude of possibility and faith in
the contingent nature of our time.
The book includes a substantive essay on this international group
of artists by curator Eungie Joo, essays and other contributions
from many of the artists featured in the exhibition, as well as
short profiles on each.
