Contemporary art derives much of its sanction from its »difference from the provincial«. Liberal-minded, cosmopolitan impetus here – backward, insular provincialism there. As a rhetorical move, at least, this still seems to function well; recently, in connection with contexts of globalization, there was even talk of »art from the world provinces«.
But who decides which artistic origins and sets of references are to be considered provincial, and which cosmopolitan and chic? Where exactly does the border lie between urban-central and rural-peripheral? Which cultural factors nurture the still dominant »city-country« power divide today? The authors featured in this issue address these questions from various perspectives. At first, centre stage is once more taken by the new-old geography of power, which, although it has undergone a fundamental revision in the course of the globalization debate, still seems practically to amount to no more than the renewed establishment of an »imperial infrastructure« (Brian Holmes). The fact that the topography of centre and periphery is not a permanently given discursive framework is one issue dealt with here (Klaus Ronneberger); another is the current re-founding of border regimes at the outer borders of Europe (Serhat Karakavali & Vassilis Tsianos).
This springerin issue also looks far beyond the core zones of Western contemporary culture, interrogating the persistent ascriptions of »Western = modern« and »non-Western = backwards«. A stocktaking analysis of the art scene in Khirgizia and a spotlight on the paradoxical divisions in Chinese contemporary art shed light on this still common leitmotif of many debates. And several authors look at current images of Africa both on and outside the continent, rounding off the discussion. It can be clearly seen throughout that provincialization mostly functions as a process that is both desired and strategic. It also becomes apparent that the cultural contours of a lasting de-provincialization of the world – and not just of art from disadvantaged regions – are still barely discernable.