Art attack: Curating violence in art

Abstract

This paper aims to show how new and challenging trends in art generate and redefine ways of curating: It examines three trends. Firstly, the art being violently attacked; Secondly, the art incorporating violence and destruction as a part of its being; And thirdly, the art that attacks or fights back. The relationship between art and violence is conceptualised through the phenomenon of iconoclasm and the transformation of its meaning over time. Iconoclasm as a common name for acts of violence against works of art gradually evolves towards a positive meaning referring to innovation and avant-garde in art. Firstly, a brief history of violence surrounding art is discussed by examining two recent contemporary London exhibitions (Art under Attack: Histories of British Iconoclasm at Tate Britain and La Fine di Dio, Maurizzio Cattelan Lucio Fontana at Gagosian Gallery, London). Attacks on art were rarely driven by strictly aesthetic concerns; they were often motivated by ideological, religious and political values. Although iconoclast attacks were unique events they all include the same elements: an artwork, an artist, an iconoclast, an owner and an audience. The paper further explores a relatively recent trend where art begins to incorporate violence and destruction as a part of its discourse form. In the final section, the art that attacks examines art itself as an attack on contemporary issues or icons.