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Snark Hunting in Canadian Law: Art and Authenticity
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 December 2017
Abstract
This reflection on the social construction of authenticity analogizes the quest for artistic authenticity to snark hunting. To illustrate the instability of this term, it employs various Canadian examples, including the “Michelangelo” terracotta sculptures donated to the Museum of Vancouver, the “Igloo tag,” the importation of a sculpture by Edward Chukwuweike Madukaego, and the work of Bill Reid. It posits that proclamations of authenticity and fraudulence are ultimately utterances denoting and invoking power relations. It also reveals, through the use of specific examples, how negotiations around artistic authenticity in settler societies can replicate and re-entrench colonialist power.
Résumé
Cette réflexion sur la construction sociale de l’authenticité tente de démontrer l’absurdité de la quête d’authenticité artistique. Pour illustrer l’instabilité du sens donné à ce terme, divers exemples canadiens sont étudiés, y compris les sculptures de terre cuite supposément de Michel-Ange qui ont été données au Musée de Vancouver, le fameux certificat d’authenticité connu sous le nom de « Igloo tag », l’importation d’une sculpture d’Edward Chukwuweike Madukaego et le travail de Bill Reid. La réflexion permet de constater que les déclarations d’authenticité et de fraude sont souvent, au bout du compte, le prétexte à l’établissement de relations de pouvoir. La présente étude révèle par ailleurs, au moyen d’exemples spécifiques, que les négociations entourant l’authenticité artistique chez les populations colonisatrices peuvent à la fois reproduire et entériner de nouveau le pouvoir colonialiste.
Keywords
- Type
- Articles
- Information
- Canadian Journal of Law and Society / La Revue Canadienne Droit et Société , Volume 32 , Issue 3 , December 2017 , pp. 417 - 436
- Copyright
- Copyright © Canadian Law and Society Association / Association Canadienne Droit et Société 2017
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