Contemporary artworks and art education

Abstract

First I try to define contemporary art education. I touch on the globalization process, postmodern theories, openness, popular culture, interculturalism, nonvisual art disciplines, transcending the canon of Western art, peace culture and the need to reject absolute rules in judging contemporary art. I then read some examples of contemporary work. The reading of an installation by the Atlas Group explores the issue of individual authorship. The reading of Helena, by Marco Evaristti, engages with ethical issues in contemporary art. The reading of Oleg Kulik’s performance of Pavlov’s Dog tries to establish the nature of Kulik’s ‘sin’. I also urge art educators not to introduce Leni Riefenstahl into classrooms. The article ends with a short reading of Fiona Tan’s video work Countenance, as shown in Documenta 11.