Collective Artistic Legacy: Conservation or Manipulation?

This essay questions notions of control and authenticity within the Scottish cultural legacy as government bodies take control of the nation's cultural identity.

TAKE ME Book Description: "Take Me! Delusions of Control in Contemporary Art" is a collection of essays providing profound analysis of the production and circulation of value in contemporary art. The essays in this book highlight the tensions that exist in contemporary art, when dealing with the control of artists' legacies, estates and work, and the ways in which sociopolitical and ideological considerations complicate this understanding. The authors of the essays in this publication provide a profound analysis of the production and circulation of value in contemporary art. From an exploration into Scotland's cultural heritage and the heritage of Chinese art movements, to the analysis of two artists who challenged the art market, this publication expands the theoretical horizon of artists legacies. The essays in this book highlight the tensions that exist in contemporary art, when dealing with the control of artists' legacies, estates and work, and the ways in which sociopolitical and ideological considerations complicate this understanding. To what degree can the artist control his or her legacy? These works are, above all else, driven by the ethos of artists’ advocacy. The publication also includes documentation of the exhibition "Curiosity Killed the Cat: A Tale of Archival Fever, Desire, and Seduction," shown at the Diego Rivera Gallery of the San Francisco Art Institute, in October 2015.