What is Contemporary Art?
What do you imagine when you hear the term "contemporary art"?
In fact, even among experts, the definition of "contemporary art" varies widely from person to person. Even so, the term "contemporary art" is still widely used in art museums and galleries.
What is "contemporary art," of which "difficult" is the catchphrase, in a nutshell?
Works of art have content based on various concepts, backgrounds, and stories. And it can be expressed by any form.
There may be a work of art that everyone is willing to admit is a contemporary work of art, even though there is nothing tangible to see.
It can be said that the creative act in the mind of the viewer triggered by the work makes it a work of art, like a feedback loop.
Contemporary Art by Genre
Installation Art
The "installation" art form, which began in earnest in the 1970s, considers the entire space in which a work of art exists as a work of art.
Instead of concentrating on a single point, as in the case of paintings and sculptures, the work is characterized by the atmosphere of the place, the sounds, and the space in which the viewer can freely walk around.
Currently, there are diverse types of works, including video, sound, interactive works using computers and sensors, and installations that include the use of artificial intelligence and biotechnology.
Yayoi Kusama
Media Art
Since the 1990s, works created using contemporary technology such as computers and electronic devices have been widely referred to as "media art.
Interactive art, which is created by using sensors and cameras to capture the viewer's movement, heat, and appearance and reflect them in the output in real time, web art, which uses a browser and other media on the Internet, and installation-type works that use video and music to create an immersive space, are also included in media art. Installation-type works that use video and music to create an immersive space may also be included in media art.
Yoichi Ochiai
Conceptual Art
Conceptual art is a genre that has become popular since the 1960s. The concept (theme) of the work is the most important aspect, and it does not matter if the object that gives form to the concept is ready-made or not.
In fact, it has become a part of conceptual art to the point that the clarity of the concept is conveyed only through such objects.
Instead of craftsmen making objects as in the past, they make ideas and concepts.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres
Relational Art
French art critic Nicolas Briault proposed relational art in his 1998 book "The Aesthetics of Relation.
It refers to art that includes elements of relationships with the audience, such as human connections exchanged through collaboration and encounters.
Rirkrit Tiravanija first gained attention in 1990 when he served Pad Thai (Thai fried noodles) at a gallery in New York City, and in 1992 and 1995 when he served Thai curry in performances that emphasized communication with the audience.
Rirkrit Tiravanija
Performance Art
Performance art is a form of artistic expression mediated by the body that has flourished since the 1960s.
Marina Abramovic and Vito Acconci are representative artists.
Yoko Ono
Famous contemporary artworks and artists
Marcel Duchamp, The Fountain
1917
This work is simply a ready-made men's urinal turned upside down and signed "R. Mutt.
It can be said that this work reveals not its visual beauty, but the rule that secretly governed the art world: "Anything can be called a work of art as long as it is displayed in a museum.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres, "Untitled (Perfect Lovers)
1987 - 1990
Felix Gonzalez-Torres, who lived a minority life as a homosexual and a native of Cuba, used two clocks to represent the two different times he and his lover, who died of AIDS, lived their lives together.
James Turrell, Perfectly Clear (Ganzfeld)
2011
James Turrell is an American artist born in 1943. He continues to experiment with the idea of making light visible as a material in an immersive experience.
Anish Kapoor, "White Sand, Red Millet, Many Flowers
1982
Anish Kapoor creates works that microscopically magnify one of the phenomena of vision, creating a large scale and overwhelming presence.
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