Magical Thinking

<p>The word 'avant-garde' so much used in connection with the various manifestations of contemporary art is starting to have a strange ironic ring to it. One might even claim that it is starting to signify what is behind the times rather than in front of them. Like all such terms it is in fact a metaphor rather than a direct description. Borrowed from old-fashioned military terminology it seeks to describe a situation where social norms are being perpetually challenged by artists. In the military sphere where it originated it is long out of use. Armies no longer marshal themselves in regular formations of the battlefield. There is now no recognized grammar of warfare - any more than (come to think of it) there is a recognized grammar of art. The mantra now is: 'It's art because I say it's art!' In these circumstances it is increasingly difficult to define what is positioned ahead of what - who is at the head of the column and who is near he tail end of it. ELS</p>