Decentralized Art History Cards
Xiyun Zhang
Traditional printed materials, such as books and magazines, have an order in which they are opened, and this order may cause readers to passively, even subconsciously, accept a reading method arranged by the author.Unlike a bound book where the story unfolds in one fixed sequence, the narrative of the cards has no beginning or end, so the story of the cards is infinite.
Traditional art history books often prioritize European male artists and mainstream movements while sidelining female artists, non-Western contributions, and marginalized voices. This card deck reimagines the storytelling of art history through a nonlinear format, moving away from the authoritative and linear narratives often found in textbooks. Each card focuses equally on one artist, offering equal space and attention, regardless of their historical prominence.
An art education card deck where each artist gets exactly one card—no more, no less.
The cards are packaged in sealed packs to enhance engagement further, requiring readers to unwrap and exchange them with others. This unboxing and trading becomes a metaphor for exchanging and decentralizing knowledge, reflecting how art history is not a fixed canon but a continuously evolving discourse shaped by reinterpretation and dialogue.
To allow readers to construct their interpretations of art history freely, this card deck incorporates game mechanics that encourage creative storytelling. Players can combine cards in various ways to form new narratives, enabling them to speculate on artistic movements, historical dialogues, and cultural intersections that might not be emphasized in traditional textbooks.
