What is contemporary art?
An undefinable question
Magdalena Abakanowicz: Every Tangle of Thread and Rope. Tate Modern exhibition 2022/23.
What is contemporary art? A question I think we all find ourselves asking at some point, possibly as we walk through a gallery filled with strange looking objects and pieces that have all be claimed with the label of being ‘art’. But what is ‘contemporary art’ and can it really be defined in a world, and industry, that is constantly evolving?
Contemporary art is defined (loosely) as an experimentation of freedom with a focus on society and its impact on the world, and our lives. At the core, contemporary art is just an umbrella term for art that is being created now. This could be video, sculpture, textiles, painting, photography and performance pieces.
However, one issue with defining what ‘counts’ as contemporary art is that different institutes around the world have chosen different dates from which art is regarded as ‘contemporary’. The Institute of Contemporary Art in London, UK, considers art created after 1947 (the year the institute was founded) to be contemporary, whereas The New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, USA, has chosen the date of 1977. Furthermore, other institutes choose contemporary art on a rolling ten-year basis, keeping a tight window.
Mária Bartuszová: Ground Impressions. Tate Modern exhibition 2022/23.
So, classifying art as contemporary can be a challenge; however, for me I think there is a clear movement post-WW2 where art began to significantly evolve into something we could recognise and regard as contemporary. Over the course of the war (1939-1940) there was an increase in propaganda across the globe. Propaganda was aggressive and articulate, filled with political messaging, in order to rally public support and soldiers through the ‘power of persuasion’.
Following the technological advances and social awareness towards matters such as feminism that stemmed from the War, the art scene evolved into Abstract Expressionism* in the 1940s/50s with artists such as Mark Rothko, which then fed into the Pop Art movement. The Pop Art movement is what I believe a clear turning point towards ‘contemporary art’.
Joan Semmel, Secret Spaces, 1976.
The Pop Art movement was a defining part of the late 20th Century across the Western world; with rapid social change as women gained greater sexual freedom with the creation of The Pill and the Stonewall riots of Summer 1969 that marked a turning point in rights for the LGBTQ+ community. Pop art acted as a reflection of the changes in society. It revolted against previously accepted views of traditional art as young artists leaned into represent what they saw around them in their everyday lives through their art, rather than the lives of the past. Because of this, Pop Art grew quickly in emerging (and accessible) art forms such as movies, advertising, packaging, music and comics.
Pop Art produced work for a mass culture inspired by everyday objects, such as the recognisable Cambell’s Soup Can (1962) and Banana 10 (1967) by Andy Warhol, thus blurring the lines between high art and low culture, ultimately making art more accessible to everyone, not just the elite.
Michael Armitage, The Promised Land, 2019.
Michael Craig-Martin is a striking conceptual artist whose work has been clearly influenced by the Pop Art movement. His work bridges the gap between Pop Art and contemporary art. Other notable (practicing) artists of contemporary art are Yayoi Kusama, Michael Armitage, Oscar Murillo, Alicia Kozlowska and Yosuke Amemiya.
So is it really an undefinable question? Possibly not. It is clear to me that the roots of contemporary art lay in the changes that came after WWII, as artists began to lean away from traditional art forms and subjects, instead mirroring societal developments around them. Contemporary art is what we are living through now, and is constantly evolving due to the dynamic and rapid changes around us. As climate change, feminism, race and identity are more prevalent than ever, the world of contemporary art helps to communicate these conversations.
Questions for clarity…
Q: Is contemporary art and modern art the same?
A: Not exactly. Contemporary art focusses on society in present time, whereas modern art looks more at individuality, created primarily between 1860-1960.
Q: What is Abstract Expressionism?
A: A form of abstract art developed by American painters during the 1940s and 1950s, characterised by gestural paint stokes. Abstract Expression draws on ideas of Surrealism and the belief that art should come from the unconscious mind.
References:
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/c/contemporary-art
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/a/abstract-expressionism
https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/pop-art/
