← Art History syllabus

United StatesArt History

Content Area 10: Global Contemporary (1980 CE to the Present)

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do contemporary artists use art as protest, activism, and social critique to confront power, injustice, and the art world itself?

Art as activism and social critique: the use of art to confront political power, injustice, and inequality, the critique of the art world and its institutions, the move of art into public space and direct action, and how the idea and the cause often matter more than the crafted object.
Covers political and activist art in AP Art History Content Area 10, explaining how artists confront power, injustice, and inequality, critique the art world and its institutions, move into public space and direct action, and prioritize the idea and the cause over the crafted object.
11 min answer →

How does contemporary art respond to globalization, migration, and cultural exchange, and how do artists negotiate local heritage and a global art world?

Globalization and contemporary art: how artists respond to migration, borders, cultural exchange, and an interconnected world, the negotiation between local heritage and a global art world, and the use of appropriation and hybridity to comment on a connected, unequal globe.
Covers globalization in AP Art History Content Area 10, explaining how artists respond to migration, borders, and cultural exchange, negotiate between local heritage and a global art world, and use appropriation and hybridity to comment on a connected, unequal globe.
11 min answer →

How do contemporary artists use the body, self-representation, and personal experience to explore identity, race, gender, and culture?

Identity and the body in contemporary art: the exploration of race, gender, sexuality, and cultural identity, the use of the body, self-portraiture, and personal experience as subject and medium, and the strategy of challenging stereotypes and dominant narratives.
Covers identity in AP Art History Content Area 10, explaining how contemporary artists explore race, gender, sexuality, and cultural identity, use the body, self-portraiture, and personal experience as subject and medium, and challenge stereotypes and dominant narratives.
11 min answer →

How did installation, performance, video, and digital media expand what art can be, making space, time, and experience into the medium?

New media, installation, and performance: how installation transforms a whole space and immerses the viewer, how performance makes the artist's actions and the body the work, how video and digital media introduce time and technology, and how these forms make the viewer's experience central.
Covers non-traditional media in AP Art History Content Area 10, explaining how installation transforms a space and immerses the viewer, how performance makes the body and actions the work, how video and digital media introduce time and technology, and how these forms center the viewer's experience.
11 min answer →

How did art since 1980 become global, conceptual, and diverse in media, and what concerns drive contemporary artists worldwide?

Contextualizing Content Area 10: the 1980 to present timeframe, the global and diverse character of contemporary art, the dominance of concept and new media over traditional painting and sculpture, and the recurring concerns of identity, politics, globalization, and the questioning of art itself.
Sets the scene for AP Art History Content Area 10, explaining the 1980 to present timeframe, the global and diverse character of contemporary art, the dominance of concept and new media, and the recurring concerns of identity, politics, globalization, and the questioning of art itself.
12 min answer →