CLARIFY: "The conjunction of contemporary and global was a welcome shift" This means that bringing together the ideas of "contemporary" (modern, current) and "global" (including perspectives from all over the world) was seen as a positive change.

"from the ‘world art’ focus that had earlier – in a colonialist fashion –" Before this shift, there was an approach called "world art," which referred to how art from different cultures was studied and categorized. This approach was influenced by colonialist attitudes, meaning it reflected a mindset shaped by the history of European countries controlling and defining other cultures, often in a way that placed them as inferior or outdated.

"placed ‘peripheries’ in a perpetual past" "Peripheries" here means regions or cultures that were seen as outside the main centers of art, often referring to non-Western countries. The phrase "perpetual past" means that these regions were always described as belonging to history, never as part of the present or future. In other words, art from these places was treated as something traditional or ancient rather than evolving and changing like Western art.

"that could never be modern or contemporary." Because of this colonialist perspective, art from these so-called "peripheral" regions was often not recognized as modern or contemporary. It was as if these cultures were stuck in time, while only Western countries were allowed to define what was "new" or "innovative."