Contemporary Art Practice Research Articles

The tinnital sublime

ABSTRACT This essay proposes the sublime as a paradigmatic concept in a Western aesthetics of tinnitus. Through critical readings of canonical works on the sublime and analysis of contemporary artistic, cinematic, and audiological practices around tinnitus, I present what I call “the tinnital sublime,” an aesthetics that depicts tinnitus as a terrible sensory occlusion and disruption of the (agentive, masculine, European) self. Tinnitus can be a terribly sublime experience, but the subjectivity constructed in Burke and Kant’s aesthetics both amplifies the terror of tinnitus and denigrates tinnital subjects for feeling that terror. In contrast, recent composers have integrated tinnitus into their music, making a sometimes-uneasy peace with phantom sound. These composers dispense with Enlightenment notions that privilege a nature-conquering, sensorily unencumbered, and rationally detached self. Instead of struggling heroically against tinnitus, they present an “illegitimate sublime,” an aesthetics that honors suffering—but also attempts to elude it—by yielding to the uncontrollable nature of tinnitus. Listening to tinnitus through the sublime does poetic justice to the gravity of its ontology and phenomenology. At the same time, listening to the sublime through tinnitus dramatizes the ableism and alienation embedded in the sublime notion of ever overcoming our relationship to nature.

Символический капитал авангарда в дискурсе неофициального искусства 1960–1980-х гг.

The article considers the work of independent artists of the 1960s and 1980s, rethinking the heritage of the avant-garde. In the unofficial art discourse, the ideas of the beginning of the XX century represent symbolic capital, significant for artists in the formation of new techniques. The appeal to the avant-garde tradition unites various regional schools of non-conformism in an effort to create a synthesis of contemporary artistic practices and art of the past. Unofficial art unites representatives of different disciplines, were separated from public ac-tivities due to long censorship. The creative and conceptual searches of the artists expressed a disconnect be-tween personal, emotional and inner world of artistic thinking in the late 1950s, tired of operating a single sys-tem. The appeal to the avant-garde tradition unites various regional schools of non-conformism in an effort to create a synthesis of contemporary artistic practices and art of the past. Moscow nonconformists developed a conceptual direction, representatives of the Leningrad underground experimented with methods of metaphysi-cal painting and abstract art, ideas of decorative symbolism were preserved in the works of Saratov noncon-formists. Interacting with the avant-garde, nonconformists form a unity of figurative and abstract painting, a dis-tinctive feature of unofficial art.

The Influence of Dominant Groups on Chinas Art Collectors and Contemporary Art Curatorial Practices

With the rapid development of Chinas economy, contemporary Chinese art has also achieved unprecedented breakthroughs. With the expansion of globalization and as a socialist country with the unique nature of Chinese characteristics, how do the curatorial practices of Chinese contemporary art develop in a complex social environment? This research explores the influence of dominant groups on Chinas art collectors and contemporary art curatorial practice based on the Frankfurt Schools critical theory. Furthermore, the research expands this theory to a broader context of China. The curatorial practices of Chinese contemporary art are deeply controlled by monopoly capital, which influences the aesthetic preferences of the public through the monopoly of popular culture. It borrows the hands of wealthy collectors to manipulate the art market. Political parties set boundaries for artistic creation through strict censorship. On the positive hand, censorship promotes the inheritance of traditional culture. By understanding that there is an invisible hand behind human cultural and artistic activities, to warn that the self-consciousness people believe is usually the result of being influenced by others language and behavior.

Unruliness and Exorbitance

Unruliness and Exorbitance

Home is where the art is? Reflections on changing notions of home and contemporary art practices in the wake of the pandemic

How has the pandemic changed ideas of home, and how have artists responded to these changes? This article considers the implications of Covid-19's impact on notions of home for contemporary art practices, with a focus on the experience of woman-identifying artists, given the gendered politics of home. Many artists have been forced to rethink how they work in response to the pandemic's effects on freedom of movement, financial security, and exhibition opportunities. In the broader community, 'working from home' has resurged with added legitimacy. To the more optimistic social analysts, Covid-19 has offered an opportunity for a major reset of work practices, but evidence suggests that the pandemic has doubled down on the unpaid care burden of women. For some woman-identifying artists, such developments have become the tipping point for exiting the industry; others have rendered their work almost entirely digital; for yet others it has provided the official imprimatur for long-developed sustaining strategies. I analyse how notions of home have been explored in contemporary art, reflect on how Covid-19 has challenged conventional experiences of home, and discuss examples of artistic practice that have adapted to these changes to examine what 'working from home' might entail in the wake of Covid-19.

Maryam Athari. Review of "Alternative Iran: Contemporary Art and Critical Spatial Practice" by Pamela Karimi.

Maryam Athari. Review of "Alternative Iran: Contemporary Art and Critical Spatial Practice" by Pamela Karimi.

‘Asi: Working with the unseen spirit

In 1993, Wolfgramm referred to the climax in faiva (Tongan artistic performance)1 as ‘asi (the presence of the unseen). This spirit of artistic expression is an agent sometimes identified when Oceanic people work together to bring artistic projects to their apotheosis. Building on the idea of the unseen spirit that energises and gives agency to artistic work, this article discusses occurrences that surface when young Oceanic people collaborate artistically, drawing on values from their cultural heritage to create meaningful faiva. Emanating from my 2022 PhD study ‘Asi - The Presence of the Unseen, the article considers how, in a group of New Zealand secondary school students aged between 10 and 18, ‘asi brought forward a powerful spirit of belonging that resourced their artistic practice. The research proposed that the ‘asi identifiable at the peak of an artistic performance, might also be discernible before and after such an event, and resource the energy of artistic practice as a whole. The research considered a co-created project called Lila. This was developed by a team of students who combined talents and experiences to produce a contemporary faiva for presentation in 2019. In understanding ‘asi the project drew on student reflections, the researchers experience and interviews with contemporary Oceanic youth leaders who discussed the nature and agency of ‘asi as a phenomenon that might resource artistic practice. The significance of the research project lay in its contribution to a distinctive understanding of ‘asi, such that we might identify and consider its potential agency for resourcing creativity and belonging inside the development and performance of contemporary artistic practices among Oceanic youth.

Gender Features of Art Practice of Ukraine and the East in Modern Context

The purpose of this study is to elucidate the contextual narrative of artistic expression of gender in the artistic practices of the East and Ukraine. The research methodology combines the analytical method of reviewing secondary sources. Moreover, the research is carried out in accordance with interdisciplinary knowledge principles, taking into account the intersection of gender psychology, art history, and cultural studies in addressing the specified issue. The methodological approach facilitated the synthesis and modelling of a shared artistic perspective on gender issues, unveiled within the trend of glocalisation for creative resistance in both Ukrainian and Eastern traditions. The scientific novelty of the study lies in its comparative approach, transcending monolithic and indigenous studies of artistic practice. The juxtaposition of Ukrainian and Eastern practices forms the basis for a synthetic description of gender as an artistic category within a cross-cultural context. In conclusion, significant contrasts in the aesthetics and techniques of the Ukrainian and broader Eastern artistic spaces are shaped by the tradition of forming a socio-cultural paradigm. Concurrently, these ethnic communities utilise common and similar approaches in contemporary artistic exploration of gender identity, memory, and critique. Despite significant divergence in creative methodologies, artists from both regions leverage traditional artistic elements and digital technologies to craft hybrid forms and narratives of masculinity and femininity that challenge societal norms and contribute to artistic resistance. It is noteworthy that gender appears within the cultures of the East (specifically within the Ukrainian context) as a variant of dialogue regarding the colonial narrative. The similarity in opposition to patriarchal and socialist ideologies indicates a broader ethical vector within the aesthetic system. The presented results contribute to the re-evaluation of global artistic narratives. The ongoing assimilation of artistic ideas in the context of globalisation dynamics is transforming contemporary art practices, promoting the development of glocalisation as a form of resistance, not only within the confines of artistic work, but also in its projections onto socio-psychological reality. The article emphasises emergence, revealed in the close interplay of numerous factors shaping the artistic practice of individual communities in the global world.
 Keywords: art practice, gender discourse, artistic resistance, glocalisation.

EXPERIMENTAL ANIMATIONS IN INDIA: AN EMERGING NEW MEDIA ART FORM

Since the beginning of civilization, humans have always been inquisitive about ways to uniquely express their sides of stories. Traditional Art forms like drawing, painting, sculpting, literature, music, and many others have helped to make it possible. More unconventional new art possibilities have emerged with the introduction of new technologies and industrial revolutions. Motion Pictures and Animation are the two most fascinating forms of artistic expression in these areas.Often, animation is considered a fascinating medium of entertainment for kids and the younger generation. However, many artists have demonstrated that it also has enormous potential to articulate and express life experiences and their minds creatively. As Walt Disney rightly said Animation can explain whatever the mind of men can conceive Thomas (1912-2004). It can take you as far as human imagination can go.This paper delves into how animation has been used as an alternative medium in contemporary New Media Art practices in India. It explores the potential of animation as a medium for creative expression and representation of complex ideas, and how it reflects changes in society brought about by technological advancements. The paper examines the approaches and experiments of Indian contemporary artists, such as Akbar Padamsee, Nalini Malani, and Vivan Sundaram, who have used animation to break free from the confines of traditional mediums and push the boundaries of visual storytelling through technology-based art.

Attempts to Communicate the Transcendent in Contemporary Art: An Artist’s Point of View

The article investigates attempts in contemporary art to convey transcendent realities through the lens of the artist. This study examines three key moments of the artistic creative process: intuition, asceticism, and silence. The article assesses silence or stillness as a specific mental state that enables us to evaluate reality with a heightened awareness of our own length, fragility, and the infinite that awaits us on the other side of existence. In artistic practice, silence is a prerequisite for authenticity, believability, and creativity. The article explores the possibility of uncovering and revealing the transcendent via matter through the author’s own artistic inquiry. It discusses art as a master of transforming material, psychological, and physical facts into shapes that hint at what is beyond what the eye or ear can perceive. Art can lead to the sublime and open the mind, eyes, and heart to that which is beyond. The expression of the transcendent through artistic action is observed by analyzing the relationship between the artist and intuitive knowledge in the artistic practices of contemporary and modern artists. Along with the qualitative method of narrative research, research methodologies specific to the artistic field (visual arts) were predominately used, expanding the boundaries of qualitative research by taking a holistic approach closer to the very nature of the artistic process and allowing for a more complete understanding of the process itself.

Education as a pharmakon. Action art as political pedagogic device for enacting radical democracy

ABSTRACT By considering the position of education as a pharmakon, highlighting its potential positive and negative effects on societies by its technical unfolding, the article proposes to explore the political and pedagogical role that public and collective performances can have within the public sphere as political devices for promoting and enacting radical democracy. To this end, it analyzes a contemporary collaborative artistic practice, the performance ‘Un Violador en Tu Camino’ (‘A rapist in your path’) by the feminist collective LASTESIS from Chile, through two main philosophical perspectives: Bernard Stiegler (1952 – 2020), and his approach to technology, to art, and education in human societies; and Oliver Marchart, coming from his conceptualization of art and activism through the notion of conflictual aesthetics.

Fictioning painting: Or imagining an ‘outside’ to art history

This article seeks to explore the relationship between contemporary painting and fictioning practices, examining the implications for historicization, authenticity and authorship. Taking as a starting point the re-appearance of Walter Benjamin in 1986, I will trace the ways in which painting practice and fictioning discourse have intersected, drawing on recent interviews with the authors of these projects and ongoing research into artist novels. I will discuss Albert Oehlen’s 2021 film The Painter, which is set in Oehlen’s studio and documents the struggle to produce an abstract painting, asking why certain clichés are re-staged in fictional portrayals of artistic labour rather than re-imagined? I will develop a discussion of Oehlen’s use of parody by reading this film as a performance to camera, and will explore the ways that Oehlen plays with plausibility through the use of an actor, a semi-improvised script, and modelling the narrative on the historical precedent of Paul McCarthy’s 1995 video Painter. I will offer a case study from my recent practice-based Ph.D. research in which I worked with Bruce McLean to re-enact his 1969 artwork Underwater Watercolour to highlight the relationship of fictioning practices to archival practice and develop an understanding of fictioning as a performative form of historicization. I will situate these examples in relation to recent theory (specifically, David Burrow’s and Simon O’Sullivan’s survey of ‘Fictioning’ practices in art and philosophy and Carrie Lambert-Beaty’s concept of ‘Parafiction’), positioning my research within a broader discussion of a current trend towards fictioning practices in contemporary art.

Volodymyr Bakhtov’s Creativity in the Context of the «New Archeology» of the Late 1980s to 2000s

The article is dedicated to the work of one of the interesting contemporary Ukrainian artists – Volodymyr Bakhtov. His creative path began in the mid – 1970s in the field of graphics, in which the artist bypassed the influence of socialist realism, immediately defining his main theme: the history and culture of Southern Ukraine. His series of etchings, which were awarded numerous international and domestic awards, metaphorically reproduced and figuratively interpreted the layering of cultural epochs that influenced the culture of the region. At the end of the 1980s, he turned to the contemporary artistic practices – land art, performance art, art objects, and later – to original light actions in the author’s technology «geliograffiti», which together are part of the «new archeology» that marked an important trend in contemporary art. Its emergence is connected with the idea of «revision» of culture, analysis of its experience. Similar searches are directed to the expansion of the cultural space, actualization of its historical layers in the public consciousness. The theme of V. Bakhtov’s «artistic research» was the antique heritage of the Northern Black Sea region, in particular the ancient Greek city of Olbia, which is now an archaeological reserve, and the disappeared monuments of architecture and history of the region. The artist’s long-term creative project in his own figurative way «reconstructs» the ancient heritage within the culture of Ukraine, connects it with the great European oecumen, emphasizes the role and importance of the ancient cities of the Northern Black Sea region in the formation of the Ukrainian cultural space. V. Bakhtov’s works represent artistic research and reconstruction of cultural and natural features of the historical landscape, thus combining archaeological and ecological intentions, and the language of modern art makes it possible to emphasize the special dialogic nature of the author’s expression, actively involving the viewer in participation. The artist’s work synthesizes historical-research and figurative-metaphorical components.

Citing the Architecture of the Holocaust as a Method of Critique in Contemporary Artistic Practices: Zbigniew Libera, Zoran Dimovski, and the Use of Scale Models

This paper presents how visual contemporary art can form intertextual relations to the architecture of the Holocaust. For that purpose, two works are used as examples and analyzed in more detail: Lego. Concentration Camp by Zbigniew Libera (1996) and Diamond Dust by Zoran Dimovski (2021). This paper shows how these artists cite architecture of the Holocaust by scale-modelling and additional elements that give their works complex semantic layers. This paper also includes discussion about invisibility and visibility of concentration and extermination camps, as well as the segment that explains the difference between the use of architectural scale models by the Third Reich propaganda and by contemporary artists. This paper concludes how, when cited in works of contemporary art, architecture becomes a complex sign shifted from one discourse into another and from one historic period to the present, a phenomenon embraced by artists to criticize the socio-political context of its creation, but also to criticize the alarming phenomena of today’s era.

Participants, Punters or Perverts? An (Expanded) Relational Understanding of Simon Waters’ Performance Ecosystem

ABSTRACT This paper examines an overlap between Simon Waters’ theory of the ‘performance ecosystem’ and Nicolas Bourriaud's ‘relational aesthetics’. Grounded on Tom Davis's prior synthesis of the two ideas, I examine the resourcefulness of relational aesthetics—a theory of contemporary art practice—when applied to the types of music that are routinely identified with Waters’ model (and vice versa). I extend Davis’s take by introducing two noteworthy critiques of relational aesthetics: Claire Bishop’s ‘Relational Aesthetics and Antagonism’, and Georgina Born’s work on social aesthetics and improvisation. To put these ideas into context, I examine two pieces that can be reasonably described as both ‘relational artworks’ and ‘performance ecosystems’: Martin Parker's ‘Sonikebana’ and Benny Nemer's ‘I Don't Know Where Paradise Is’. I conclude by unpicking a key assertion made in Davis’s synthesis, that a relational understanding of Waters' theory can help encourage artworks to manipulate the social worlds around them (presumably for the better). While I fundamentally agree with this notion from a rhetorical perspective, without an expanded level of critique, it can be difficult to see where this change takes place and who it materially benefits.

Dialogic Intentions: Social Practice and Moral Character in Contemporary Arts and Education

The decades-long surge of artistic interest in social practice finds a potential confluence in the recent rise of moral character as an object of psychological study, with both ideas filtering downstream into contemporary arts education philosophy and practices. Although much has been written about the social turn in the arts and the cultivation of character in education, few investigators have analyzed the relationship between them. This conceptual essay contributes to a possible convergence by examining the tensions and opportunities inherent in the integration of experimental art-making with the traditions of social science and moral theory. Its purpose is to take a personality-based approach to socially engaged art-making: to understand why some artists engage in social practice and the implications for arts education. This inquiry draws from a series of public interviews that examine the works and values, thoughts and feelings, practices and perspectives of contemporary artists working in higher education.

Forms of technostalgia: Understanding cultures of the obsolete

The term ‘technostalgia’ refers to a range of admittedly quirky and often collectible devices that frequently hit the market, promising customers the experience of past technology in the present. Using this marketing trend as a starting point, this article attempts to trace ‘other’ technostalgias in their plurality elsewhere in order to plump the philosophical dimensions of the concept. Upon unpacking the underlying structure of technostalgia (in terms of subject–object relations, as social practice, etc.), we may relocate the technological subject within the global–local horizon and rethink the social history of technology as a history of becoming-obsolete – i.e. a history of what we may do (or not do) with the fate of ‘becoming-obsolete’ other than being subjected to it. To this effect, the article describes the structure of technostalgia not once but thrice and from three different vantage points: the first being the most evident and ‘first’ market version of technostalgia, the second being technostalgia as contemporary art practice in the form of hand-drawn or graphic non-fiction narratives, and the third being technostalgia as a historical ‘incident’ of sorts related to the advent of photography against the colonial context.

Art as Pedagogy: A Multiple Case Study of Participatory Socially Engaged Art

Abstract In recent decades, contemporary art practices have expanded into social processes as art, and even to educational experiments. Artists create participatory projects combining art with educational activities and goals. Despite the prevalence of these art works, contemporary art literature continues to focus primarily on the artist, thereby displacing the experiences of participants. Hence, from the stance of an art educator, I carried out qualitative multiple case studies to examine the learning experiences of the participants as well as the pedagogical frameworks of the artists. On-site observations and individual interviews were carried out with the artists, core group members who directly collaborated with the artists, and public audience members of three participatory, socially engaged art works. Through a cross-case thematic analysis, the findings demonstrate the value of intrinsically motivated learning enabled by a learning approach grounded in (art)making. In these works, a critical social consciousness was promoted among the participants by means of an enhanced social imagination provoked by the interplay between political content and artistic means. Essentially, the art works examined in this study serve as models of transdisciplinary art for learning and teaching social justice issues and civic engagement. Moreover, the results of this study encourage collaboration between artists and educators, as artists’ approaches diversify pedagogy and, conversely, educators play a critical role in enhancing the learning experience of participants.

“The Queer Nuyorican”: Reading Downtown Poetry and Performance Through a Queer Lens

“The Queer Nuyorican”: Reading Downtown Poetry and Performance Through a Queer Lens

Adapting visual references in concept art for films and video games in design uncanny monsters

After demonstrating the efficacy of adapting visual references (3D renders and photos) to concept art for high-budget game development and film production, this contribution suggests a specific approach for the digital artist to produce the uncanny valley when designing monsters. This article illustrates the importance of embedding visual references into the artwork for time efficiency, correct use of perspective and establishment of believable textures. In particular, the search for realism shows to be advantageous in design uncanny monsters. Visual references can be manipulated in software such as Photoshop to prepare not only the blueprints for the 3D modelling/sculpting stage but also to design the special effects makeup for live-action monsters. This contribution fills a gap between our current understanding of the uncanny valley and the process of designing characters; it suggests an efficient approach to monster-making for entertainment and sheds a light on contemporary concept art practices. This is important for a dual reason: (a) it moves knowledge forward in the field of the uncanny valley’s applications to concept art since this has not been investigated in depth in other works; (b) it helps professional concept artists in shaping and controlling the uncanniness of antagonistic characters.