Selling Nations: International Exhibitions and Cultural Diplomacy
Author(s)
Wallis, Brian
Abstract
Of all the ways to constitute a nation, the nation as a work of art is perhaps the most audacious. Though clearly a copywriter’s invention, the naming of a country as a work of art is a bold sleight of hand in that it alludes at once to the invented nature of nationality and to the role of culture in defining the nation to natives and foreigners alike. Cultural festivals are among the means by which nations seek to construct their national identity for foreign audiences, notably the American audience. Typically, cultural festivals dovetail art exhibitions with lectures, films, plays, and public performances of national entertainments. In other words, in many different ways they function as huge public relations gambits, designed to ‘sell’ the national image in the United States.
