‘Painting’ as emergent knowledge: a practice-led case study of contemporary artistic labour

Abstract

Our current economic, social and environmental climate demands that we find creative responses to live and work in a sustainable manner. In this context, we need to reclaim creativity as a potential force for transformation, understanding it as a social phenomenon, without over-relying on social constructionist approaches that mistrust concepts of ‘agency’ and ignore human cognition. This article explores ways in which contemporary artistic labour might be understood as a cognitive process which is both agential and social. Through a case study of practice-led research, it investigates (1) the ways in which painting may be understood as a process of ecological cognition involving artist, audience and artefacts; and (2) what happens when you explicitly draw attention to the material, social and relational processes of making sense of the artwork. I conclude that the work of art may be experienced as a bringing-forth of emergent knowledge involving artist, audience and artefacts.