New strategies of representation concerning discussions of identity that arise in contemporary art in the context of cultural diversity

ABSTRACT In addition to being a widespread theme in social and political literature, the concepts of cultural diversity and identity are also to a large extent utilized in artistic production. The fact that art takes its form through a subjective approach brings with it the necessity to evaluate works of artists by taking into account their positions, tendencies and representation styles. The representation of identity that isbased on its diversity is influenced by discussions focusing on the theme of "subject" in modernist and postmodernist approaches. The universal values of the modernist construct and the attempts of the Western-based subject to alienize different cultural values, are analyzed with reference to various thinkers. In this context, the critical attitude focuses on the questioning of the representation with regard to its statement. As the decisive factors in the writing of history were revealed, the parameters of representation in cultural analyses have also become visible. Artists play with the way historical knowledge depicts its subjects and pursue personal stories that are left out. The goal of this study is to analyze how cultural diversity relates to artistic production under current social conditions and how it's represented. For this reason, the first part of the text focuses on the social and cultural dimensions of the concept of identity. The second part analyzes the limits of the construction of subject in the modernist construct, and discusses the cultural situation –and the reality thereof– which results from denial of the historical and criticism of statement. The third part pursues diversity of identity and its cultural dimensions in the course of contemporary art, and investigates the relationship of the discussed concepts to artistic production. Additionally, representation of artists and artworks in the global art scene is also evaluated. The last part analyzes the following artists who exemplify the issues discussed within the text: Walid Raad, Akram Zaatari, Rabih Mroué and Mona Hatoum. Key Words: Identity, Cultural Diversity, Statement Criticism, Representation, Global Art