I am not usually someone who finds inspiration in contemporary art, I love older aesthetics, and I find it hard sometimes to relate to contemporary art as it seems complicated and beyond my understanding. However, I wanted to leave my comfort zone for a minute and find out what the deal is with it and with the artists practicing this art style, which led me here.
I came across these artists while flipping the pages of an early 2000s edition of “Art on the Edge,” which, after a bit of research on Google, seems to no longer be in business.
This article will cover:
- What is contemporary art?
- What do I think of contemporary art as a contemporary artist?
- Why does contemporary art matter?
- Some contemporary artists’ work that caught my attention
1- What is contemporary art?
Contemporary art is any art made by living artists in the present time. It is an art that responds to a global environment that is culturally diverse, technologically advanced, and multifaceted. The time frame of contemporary Art goes from the second half of the 20th century to the 21st century and on. It is part of a cultural dialogue that concerns larger contextual frameworks such as personal and cultural identity, family, community, and nationality and is distinguished by the very lack of a uniform organizing principle, or ideology.
So it’s basically art that has no rules and relies on the personal expression and freedom of the artist as an individual.
2- What do I think of contemporary art as a contemporary artist?
It’s so funny to me that, as a contemporary artist, I am genuinely thrown off by most contemporary art! Don’t get me wrong, there are amazing contemporary artists, and my only issue is that those great artists are underrated.
I am a firm believer that freedom with no boundaries is just chaos. Art that follows rules appeals to me! I love seeing harmony in art, good compositions, aesthetics, ideologies, etc. However, I still appreciate a bold personal presence and individuality coming through the art piece. My only issue is that some contemporary artists’ work looks like everybody’s so creative! (a TikTok meme) But in art, kind of thing.
In a previous article, Things I genuinely hate as an artist in 2023! I talked about how in the current times and with the short attention spans we have, shock value matters more than creative integrity to the public. And I heavily see this in contemporary art fairs, contemporary museum collections, and other art showrooms, which confirms the fact that shock value and virality are money in contemporary art, while creative integrity and anything that art meant in the past is no longer it.
3- Why does contemporary art matter?
To the artist, it’s their way of expressing themselves in a fast-paced world and drawing their impression of the current cultural scene and the world around them. It’s also a great way to keep track of and document our world for the upcoming generations.
As a viewer, given the fact that this art style is mainly expressive (it does communicate through visuals and not words), it will be thought-provoking, which promotes an internal dialogue that can be shocking, sensational, and even transformative to the person’s mindset. This is indeed the reason that many people enjoy going to museums and spending time with art. It allows viewers the chance to be exposed to stimuli that can provoke thoughts and even emotions. For many, it can lead to new information, education, and growth.
How about the aesthetic value of the art piece?
I know what you’re thinking, an aesthetic value of artwork means that the art has some capacity to elicit a sense of pleasure in the viewer. Although what is considered pleasing to the eye may vary depending on the viewer, given the wide variety of mediums and methods for this style of art there is likely to be some form that will appeal to each person.
Contemporary art can is often used for decor. Like outdoor sculptures, prints are used in offices and other public places which makes them easily accessible to the public.
4- Contemporary artists’ work that caught my attention
Yayoi Kusama
You of course have heard of her! The 94 years old most known contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama is the world’s top-selling female artist and the world’s most successful living artist. She came to public attention when she organized a series of happenings in which naked participants were painted with brightly colored polka dots. And while this confirms how I previously mentioned that shock value is more appreciated in contemporary art, I understand that Yayoi’s style is about conceptual art that shows some attributes of feminism, minimalism, surrealism, Art Brut, pop art, and abstract expressionism, and is infused with autobiographical, psychological, and sexual content.
I feel like I am missing the rest of the artists you are referencing besides the first one.
As a classically trained art teacher, I am not a fan of most contemporary work that is promoted as art. So I was glad to see your comment about the current trend of shock art. You could say it started with Dada but it has degenerated to to things as offensive as crosses in urine. It will be interesting to see what history will remember and value. Unlike the originally unwanted Van Goghs being auctioned for millions today, I don’t see these activists masquerading as artists setting records at Sotheby’s in the future. What I see today is marketing and PR being more valued that actual talent. There are still some immensely talented artist today who are not well known, Their work will be valued in the future.