Art Scene Research Articles

The Great Awakening of the LDS-Mormon Art Scene

The Great Awakening of the LDS-Mormon Art Scene

Women’s agency in art and science

Women in the field of art and science have an unquestionable presence worldwide that exceeds their visibility in the general visual art scene. When cataloguing women’s range of practices and exploring their agency in art and science, a new model of inclusivity and access to the public sphere for all individuals working in art emerges. First, these are contributions reflecting on projects being carried out by women in the broadest interpretation of the term – individuals who identify themselves as women, cisgender, non-cisgender, transgender, gender fluid and independent of their sex and gender. Second, these are contributions that reflect on research methodologies, collaboration strategies, knowledge sharing, as well as public vs. personal, embodiment and materiality.

“To Make Books Is to Multiply”: Artists' Books and Feminist Expression in Mexico

Abstract In the late 1970s and early 80s, artist's books exploded in Mexico City. The impetus for this explosion has often been located in the artistic practice of the experimental artist Felipe Ehrenberg and the bookmaking workshops he offered beginning in 1976. While Ehrenberg was undoubtedly influential, this essay reexamines the history of this period—a so-called Golden Epoch of independent publishing in Mexico––in order to recuperate the significant role that feminist-aligned artists played in advancing the medium of the artist's book. In particular, I examine early editions produced by the artists Magali Lara and Yani Pecanins. Both prolific producers and staunch advocates for the artist's book medium, Lara and Pecanins wielded the book form's unique qualities in order to interrogate and validate aspects of women's experience that were often elided from both Mexican popular culture and the contemporaneous experimental art scene. Their early artist's books were conduits for feminist expression that pushed the limits of formal experimentation and forged new circuits of communication.

Teodor Buzu's extemporaries: light and singularity

A notorious representative of the contemporary Bessarabian artistic diaspora, Teodor Buzu is a well-known name in the Romanian and Central European artistic scene. Having settled for over three decades in Tabor in the Czech Republic, the artist takes part with devotion in exhibitions in the Republic of Moldova and in European countries. He is a versatile artist, working in watercolour, easel painting, graphic design, ceramics, monumental painting, and book graphics. He is a member of the Volary Group, together with his friends, the Czech painters Pavel Klima and Vit Pavlik, sharing a passion for experimentation and a common vision of creation and its role in the modern world. In July 2023, the Volary Group was hosted by the National Art Museum of Moldova with the exhibition Ex tempore/ Improvizații.

«Ныне силы небесные с нами невидимо служат…». К истории литургических сюжетов на Руси

The depiction of liturgical life played a crucial role in the Russian art of the 16th-17th century. There was a number of newly created scenes emerged at the time: Let All Human Flesh Be Silent, The Cherubikon, The Vision of St. Gregory the Theologian and Now the Powers of the Heaven. The rarity of the latter, provided by the only example kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery, caused a special interest for the study. The upper part of the composition is occupied by the image of Heaven, where the Savior sits in majesty in the center surrounded by the angels. In the lower part, the saint bishop celebrates the liturgy against the backdrop of the temple. The icon is inscribed with a quotation from a hymn sung at the Liturgy of the Presanctified gifts. We find a similar set of motifs in another scene known as A Saint Celebrates the Liturgy. The depictions of it carry other inscriptions: The Liturgy, A Saint Bishop Serves the Lord, etc., however, the composition itself seems precisely repeated. In the center of the composition, there is a saint bishop approached by the laypeople. In the upper part, the Savior within a mandorla is depicted surrounded by the Heavenly Powers. In other words, the core motif of a saint bishop in front of the altar which is considered a marker for liturgical scenes is supplemented here with the depiction of laypeople or saints coming and with the image of the Lord in Majesty. The use of the similar set of motifs indicates the parallel development of liturgical scenes in the Late Medieval Russian art. The semantics of the subjects A Saint Bishop Celebrates the Liturgy and Now the Powers of Heaven also coincide with other liturgical compositions. They express the idea of unity between believers and the Heavenly world and besides they clearly show the way to reach the Paradise through the liturgy.

Vantage Points

A distinctive trait of the Chilean art scene, its insular condition came about as a consequence of the 1973 coup d’état, which interrupted foreign relations for a long time. The situation is only now being reversed, with local artistic production still being restricted to a homegrown market and audiences. Within this national circuit of the arts, almost entirely centered in the city of Santiago, artistic work is mostly limited to the activity of graduates and faculty from metropolitan universities, such as the Universidad de Chile and the Universidad Católica. The trend is now being reversed thanks to recent social events, primarily the 2019 uprisings or the increased market value of lithium, which put Chile back at the center of the global geopolitical agenda. In addition, a shift in media attention toward the art of indigenous peoples, which peaked in 2022, with examples such as the Venice Biennale, has allowed artists like Cecilia Vicuña, active since the seventies, to enter the so-called star system of art.

Interviews and Conversations

Juma and Epona met in autumn 2022. At the time Epona, along with Nara Virgens and Melmun Bajarchuu, was curating an event1 on the topic of sustainability in transnational cooperation in performing arts, to which Juma was invited as a guest speaker. Since then, they have continued their conversation and exchanged their perspectives. A recurring topic in their conversation is the question of decentralizing power dynamics in the global performing arts scene, on the backdrop of climate change and unequal distribution of resources. As an Indigenous artist and activist from Pindorama (colonially known as Brazil), Juma's perspective is informed not only through her locality within a global performing arts scene but by the knowledge they carry and the challenges they are facing stemming from her (human and non-human) Indigenous coexistence. Based in Berlin, Epona works in the performing arts field as a producer and curator and has gained varied experience in transnational cooperation in recent years. Her critical approach has been informed by her Lebanese heritage within European contexts and by being a mother to her daughter.

AI예술의 오늘 : 동시대 미술 현장으로부터

AI예술의 오늘 : 동시대 미술 현장으로부터

Evaluation of fine arts print production with artist’s opinions in contemporary art presentation

Fine art printmaking is a process that involves creating multiple original artworks through various printing techniques such as etching, lithography, and screen printing. Printmaking has been a significant art form for many contemporary artists, and its value lies in its ability to reproduce artworks in a way that is more affordable and accessible to a broader audience. In the last three decades, rapidly advancing digital technology has caused radical changes in many social, cultural, and economic fields, including the presentation of contemporary art. This has led to the formation of an innovative attitude among artists, which has transformed and triggered the production of new artworks. Fine art prints, which are considered one of the original printing methods, have become increasingly popular among contemporary artists as a means of bringing their works to wider audiences and generating additional income. Digital technologies offer a new tool for artists, which can be used to create dynamic visual presentations in different spaces and platforms. This innovative attitude that fine art prints bring to the behaviour of today’s artists should be considered alongside other contemporary art presentations. The aim of this article is to investigate the effects of digital printing technology and fine art prints on contemporary artists. To achieve this, in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 participants, including well-known artists and art institution managers, in the contemporary art scene in Turkey. The findings were analyzed using content analysis, a qualitative research method, which helped to identify the concepts and relationships that could be explained with a theoretical expression based on the interpreted data.

Art Review. Hybrid Spaces: Digital and Physical in Rural Context

The contemporary art exhibition We Must Cultivate Our Garden! curated by Gábor Gulyás has won the title Exhibition of the Year at Godot Institute of Contemporary Art in Budapest, Hungary. Its author Imre Bukta turned 70 in 2022 and all works of art exhibited in the vast space of the Godot Insitute are recent creations of the artist. With a high national and international visibility in the art scene, Bukta lives in the small Hungarian village Mezőszemere, Heves County, and his creation is centred on the paradoxes of contemporary rural life. We propose a review of the exhibition, by highlighting the subtle transitions between tradition and innovation, rural and urban, digital and physical, as presented in the rich display of artworks swinging between comic and tragic, featuring life in a forgotten place. The iconic installation titled Intelligent Hoe (Okoskapa) epitomises the hybridity of space construction in rural context.

A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF LI LIUFANG'S VIEW OF CALLIGRAPHY AND HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH DONG QICHANG

Li Liufang was an influential artist in the art scene of the late Ming Dynasty in Jiading. He excelled in poetry, calligraphy, and painting. Gui Youguang’s “theory of nature and spirit” had a significant impact on his view of calligraphy. He advocated “Learn the virtues of the ancients” and “Writing one’s own thoughts”. Dong Qichang was the most prominent artist of the late Ming Dynasty in Songjiang. Because of Songjiang’s proximity to Jiading and the relationship between the two, Li Liufang is often seen as a follower of Dong Qichang when many scholars study the history of the acceptance of Dong qichang’s art. However, this is incorrect. The interaction between Li Liufang and Dong Qichang was minimal, and their styles of painting and calligraphy differed significantly. Both Dong and Li’s academic roots can be traced back to the Tang-Song school of literature and art in the late Ming Dynasty. Thus, there are similarities between Dong and Li’s literary and artistic philosophies. Dong Qichang received the inheritance from Tang Shunzhi, which is similar to the “theory of nature and spirit”. In other words, these two men received their literary ideas from the same school of inheritance, and there is no mutual imitation between the two.

Ode to Repair: Weaving and Restoration in the Work of Louise Bourgeois

Contemporary art practitioners use a rich arsenal of techniques and materials, including those previously considered by artists to be applied and therefore of secondary importance. Threads and fabrics have long been confined to the field of fine and decorative arts and have not been considered full participants in the art scene. Until now the boundaries between textile art and high art remain blurred. However, at the end of the twentieth century, we saw a new strategy for the perception of textiles and domestic handicraft practices as independent art forms. The change in the traditional hierarchy and language of art in the 1960s and 1980s was influenced by many developments, including the emergence of a new wave of artists who began to incorporate applied materials into the space of art. The legalisation of textile production as an artistic practice owed much to Louise Bourgeois, who turned to needlework techniques and demonstrated their limitless potential. The material for this article is the textile works of Louise Bourgeois, her memoirs, as well as video materials and the documentary film “The Spider, the Mistress and the Mandarin”. This article analyses textile works of the artist, as well as the themes of damage and restoration that run through many of her works. The term “mending” is discussed, which seems broader and more relevant to describe Bourgeois’ works. The image of the spider, a symbol of mother and weaver, which is important for the artist, is also analysed. In the orbit of the author’s attention is the theme of duality of needle as a simultaneous image of traumatisation and reparation. The conclusion is made that L. Bourgeois’ work has influenced artists from the 1970s to the present day. Her creative language, the variety of materials and techniques used have enriched the arsenal of contemporary art and have certainly influenced the place of textile in the hierarchy of arts.

Exiled lives on the stage: Support networks and programs for artists at risk from Turkey in Germany.

This article analyses the support and self-care strategies of artists from Turkey who have left their country from considerable risk regarding their country's political and economic instability since 2013 and have relocated to Germany. It maps the support networks, programs and institutions as well as consider questions of sustainability and risk (self-) assessment. The study is based on interviews with Turkish and Kurdish artists in Germany and an analysis of the activities by the Maxim Gorki Theater, Apartment Projekt, bi'bak, Hafiza Merkezi Berlin, as well as support systems like artistic research fellowships, art residencies, artist networks and supportive theatres. The guiding questions of this study examine the longer-term orientation of the support of artists at risk. The findings show three deficiencies. Despite the variety of available support systems, artists who left Turkey experience difficulties integrating in the artistic labour market. The output-oriented, meritocratic basis on which programs select candidates often fail to help artists in a holistic way. The intergenerational disparity in the migrant communities create the infrastructures, solidarity discourses and networks for newly arriving artists, but also creates ideological tensions which limits inter-communitarian solidarity. Specific self-organized programs extend the solidarity to artists from other affected regions, which limits chances to support artists at risk from Turkey. There are generational disadvantages of newcomers in an overburdened, professionalized independent art scene that has struggled to break free from the social work and socio-cultural stigmas. The latter masks artists with a non-German background from positive discrimination initiatives. The study proposes improvement in support systems through a coordinated effort, encourages to relieve programs from a need for identity representation as an expectation or requirement, and advises a shift in support systems from output orientation towards enhancement of individuals through self-care, for greater autonomy and self-development in their art practices and new life.

Graffiti on the Development of Urban Arts: Study Case in Yogyakarta City

Urban art, including graffiti, has emerged as a powerful form of creative expression that transforms the aesthetic landscape of cities around the world. This paper focuses on the impact of graffiti on the development of urban arts, with a specific cas study conducted in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Yogyakarta, known for its vibrant artistic scene, has witnessed the evolution of graffiti as a a means of cultural expression and a catalyst for social change. By examining the historical context, artistic techniques, and social significance of graffiti in Yogyakarta, this paper aims to shed light on the transformative power of this art form within an urban environment.

‘We all came from Soros’

Focusing on the period between 1994 and 2006, this study of the Soros Foundation and its spin-offs employs a mixed-method approach to explore the structure of the visual arts scene in Croatia and the role of Soros Foundation organisations within it. Based on a quantitative analysis of network visualisations and a qualitative structural analysis of narrative interviews, which are theoretically framed around the notions of network and complexity, the article moves the research agenda away from assumptions about what Soros Foundation organisations were supposed to be, to a more embedded understanding of what they actually were in a specific space-time. The analysis foregrounds varying strategies and trajectories of Soros Foundation’s Croatia-based organisations. It demonstrates that they served mostly to maintain continuity with the socialist period during the 1990s, while real structural change, at least partially due to the Foundation’s influence, happened only after 1999 with the emergence of the independent cultural scene.

Yes, I Do: An Artists’ Community of Practice

After living in Cali, Colombia, and getting to know the culture and social life that takes shape around artistic practice, I started to wonder about the kinds of educational experiences that were developing outside of the formal curricula in visual arts educational institutions. I decided to address the artistic practice of a community of artists who share an educational space, an art scene and, ultimately, the same challenges regarding the learning spaces that emerged from the emotional bonds of collectivity. As I delved into their teaching spaces, I wanted to understand how the creation of knowledge, as a by-product of their interactions around the learning experience, provided transformative spaces that enrich meaning within this artistic milieu. In this way, we can understand the value of artistic practice and its close connection to the artistic piece and the resulting aesthetic experience, paying particular attention to research and production processes.

The Emirati Vernacular: Tracing the UAE’s Art History through Architecture as a Reflection of Society

While past studies have considered the relationship between art and architecture, art and society, or society and architecture, few consider all three, let alone when discussing these subjects in the United Arab Emirates. This article presents the evolution of the art scene in that country’s three largest emirates, from its foundation as a federation through today, as a reflection of local societal truths. Since its early days, each concerned emirate—Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah, has developed an art scene unique from the others, and each one has been housed in different kinds of mostly vernacular—though sometimes academic—architecture. Through data collection of the various types of architecture employed in each emirate, this article explores possible reasons why each state has its own art scene, and what can explain this phenomenon. Abu Dhabi, the wealthy capital, has “starchitect” designed institutions; the more avant-garde Dubai employs recycled industrial hangars (or structures made to look as such); while the more traditional Sharjah repurposes historical structures for artistic use. Over time, each emirate begins to borrow different architectural tendencies hitherto mostly seen in the other states, demonstrative of the constant competition the three emirates have with each other. Beyond the local implications, these structures provide a rich discussion on what is considered vernacular in a modern context, as well as where the definition of one stops and the other begins.

The Musical Underground as an Alternative to the Art Scene of Totalitarianism and Post-Totalitarianism

The musical underground as an underground art testifying what is outside the framework of the Soviet cultural mainstream of the 1980s and 1990s to various extent is considered in the article. It is proved that the concept of underground correlates with the notion of an alternative to the official party art scene of totalitarianism, and is often confused with the related concept of sixties. It is emphasized that the underground is a form of protest art, that is a form of protest in art. It is determined that the musical underground can be, in fact, political, aesthetic, and artistic. It characterizes the artistic surroundings of the underground in which the artist lives. The musical underground has appeared on the territory of Ukraine since the 1980s after all the complex transformations those taking place in academic art (opera and symphony) and after the final legalization of jazz, rock, eco-jazz and other trends those have become permissible and legitimate in the context of the post-Soviet reality of music. Conclusions. The underground as an underground art expresses its socio-cultural functions in different contexts. Thus, in a totalitarian space underground art becomes a certain locus of elite, selected performers opposing the general oppression of freedom and human rights, and also carrying out the process of creative self-expression, declaration of will in post-totalitarian societies. It is found out that the underground becomes an art symbol aimed at certain vectors of communication and defines itself as a trash culture, or as a niche character and method of culture creation.

Intermedialita kaligrafických inspirací v poválečném umění a filosofickém diskursu

In this study, based on my dissertation thesis, I focus on the issues of circulation and various methods of appropriating calligraphic practices within the framework of transnational art history, predominantly in the context of the post-war European and North American art scenes. Due to the multi-layered and intermedia nature of the topic of calligraphic inspirations, I have chosen the motif of the circle as a certain unifying element, through which I attempt to reflect the given issue within two distinct circles. The first topic is the examination of the possibilities of artistic or philosophical expression of the ontological meaning of corporeality and the circularity of the body in the process of creation. The circle also reflects the issue of periodic renewal and regeneration of mythical and historical time. I examine the issue of the cyclical nature of time in the context of post-war art, when the necessity of a new beginning arose, which would not only enable a deeper intercultural dialogue, but also strengthen the need to re-examine the original artistic roots and sources.

CONTEMPORARY CHINESE SCULPTURE OVERVIEW

In the past century, China has experienced significant cultural and societal transformations, transitioning from a culturally isolated and largely illiterate nation to one that is actively developing alongside the rest of the world and presents a unique blend of cultural tradition and modern civilization. Over the years China has seen several generations of sculptors who have been both actively and passively influenced by various schools of sculpture and ideas from France, the Soviet Union, Europe, and the US. In other words, the development of contemporary Chinese sculpture is closely tied to the ideological and cultural progress of China in the 20th century, resulting in a unique and distinctive presence within the global art scene in the 21st century. Unlike other cultural fields, Chinese contemporary sculpture has expanded beyond the boundaries of the art world and the academy. It not only focuses on developing a realistic sculpture system but also incorporates Western contemporary art concepts into its creative process while preserving traditional Chinese sculpture. Contemporary sculpture is currently being developed in a balanced manner through various mainstream routes, including the realistic art tradition of the West, the contemporary art concepts of Europe and America, and the Chinese cultural codes. The formation of this situation has complex reasons, which can be attributed to the multiple changes in the development route of Chinese sculpture throughout the 20th century. This has resulted in several trends of contemporary Chinese sculpture and culture. Additionally, the development trends of Chinese culture throughout the 20th century, as well as the semi-planned and semi-market-oriented economic system implemented in China after the Reform era, have also contributed to this situation. This article provides an overview of the overall development context, explores the issue of the delayed development of contemporary Chinese sculpture, and reviews sculpture genres and styles, offering insights into the formation and genesis of contemporary Chinese sculpture.