Questioning History: Imagining the Past in Contemporary Art: Reflect No.7

During the past several decades, contemporary artists have asked critical questions about the way in which history is constructed through images, particularly those that are disseminated by the mass media. As the media has increasingly assumed the role of historiographer, there is a danger of losing the diversity of our historical narratives. Add to this the globalization of our culture, and we are faced with a potential dulling of our collective historical awareness. In Questioning History, editors Frank van der Stok, Frits Gierstberg and Flip Bool focus on different ways in which contemporary visual artists, photographers and filmmakers have constructed historical narratives through images and offer a selection of essays that examine artists' innovative challenges to prevailing historical narratives.