ABSTRACT The figure of the mermaid offers a fertile lens through which to explore the uncanny and the symbolic, material, and imaginative potentials of water. The main argument this article develops through its three sections is that the fictional figure of the mermaid exemplifies how the uncanny in arts and literature can generate new imaginaries that help us confront contemporary societal and environmental challenges. In particular, the article focuses on a case study to make the argument more concrete, providing an analysis of Laura Pugno’s novel Sirene. The first section outlines the conceptual framework, defining uncanny hybrid characters and linking them to notions of fluidity and water-focused theoretical discourses, often marked by feminist and posthuman orientations. The second section examines the fictional figure of the mermaid and its subversive potential, showing how contemporary artists and writers use it to address disability, posthumanism, and the crisis of the Anthropocene. The final section turns to the literary case study, demonstrating how Sirene engages with complex issues of posthumanism and feminism through its powerful reimagining of the mermaid figure.

ABSTRACT The compositional function of the horizon line in defining space in Western art and culture is absent in some aspects of traditional Japanese arts and cultural worldview. From early Japanese cosmologies the horizon line has been reconsidered in Zen Sansui-style landscape paintings, in the philosophy of Kitaro Nishida, and in some contemporary architectures. The manifestations of horizonless-ness explored here contrast with the notion of the horizon as a dividing line, predominant in Western thought. The notion of the horizon as a separating boundary can be associated with the dualistic worldview that considers nature and culture as irreconcilable opposites; a fundemental characteristic of a world where the subject is separated from the environment. This paper explores how such a dualistic worldview is absent in certain Japanese traditions and artistic expressions, shedding new light on the familiar trope that proposes a harmonious relationship between Japanese culture and nature. In doing so, it examines a horizonless worldview and its implications for aesthetics and the built environment. To these ends, this paper explores two contemporary art museums on islands in the Setouchi region of Japan: Tadao Ando’s Chichu Art Museum on Naoshima Island and Ryue Nishizawa and Rei Naito’s toponymic Teshima Art Museum on Teshima Island. By exploring the horizonless architectural strategies of these two museums, they can be linked to the principles of Sansui-style painting and to Nishida’s ideas of both absence and nothingness.

ABSTRACT The idea to build a cultural centre in the heart of Paris, designed around a contemporary art museum, was launched by Georges Pompidou in 1969, eighteen months after the events of May 1968 that led to his election as President of the Republic. The politicians and officials overseeing this unconventional museum project saw it as a way to channel protests by providing an outlet for social tensions, especially among the youth, while fearing the politicisation of the institution. Influential art critics involved in the May protests and young museum curators exasperated by the traditionalism of their elders welcomed the long-awaited opening of the French state to contemporary culture and unconventional works. But some factions of the avant-garde scene openly attacked a project closely associated with a president representing the Gaullist legacy. Far from the simplistic model of political instrumentalization of art, the creation of the Centre Pompidou was thus marked by intense debates and internal tensions within both the artistic and governmental spheres. Drawing on numerous archival documents, this paper seeks to explore how these political motivations shaped the conception of the new National Museum of Modern Art from 1969 until its inauguration in 1977.

This essay reflects on how regenerative strategies used within the field of ecology can be considered in terms of Fine Art practice and pedagogy (and vice versa) and proposes how these methodological alliances inform and extend our understanding of the relationship between these disciplines. Building on recent interest in regenerative practice in the field of design and contemporary art, this piece of writing compares actions of ecological restoration with methods and processes taking place in the artist’s studio. Referencing specialists in the fields of regenerative agriculture, ecology and contemporary arts practice, this text suggests potential alignments and coalescences that broaden our understanding of what a ‘regenerative’ perspective may mean for art practice and, in particular, that of collage and painting, which are central to the author’s own work. This essay includes accounts and anecdotes from conversations with students in studio tutorials alongside recollections of conversations with tutors when I was a student, where discussions highlight processes and decision-making that align with what a ‘regenerative art practice’ might look like. In conclusion, building on Basarab Nicolescu’s proposal of the transdisciplinary, this essay locates the edge of boundaries as fertile ground for radical method-making.

The purpose of the article is a cultural and musicological interpretation of jubilee artistic practices within the culture of memory related to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mykhailo Krechko, as well as determining their role in preserving and actualizing the composer’s creative heritage in contemporary Ukrainian choral art. The methodological basis of the research is formed by interdisciplinary approaches of cultural studies and musicology. Historical-cultural, biographical, analytical, and systemic methods were applied, which made it possible to consider jubilee artistic events as a component of the culture of memory. Methods of analysis of concert programs, artistic projects, and memorial events dedicated to the figure of Mykhailo Krechko were also used, which contributed to a comprehensive understanding of the forms of representation of his creative heritage in the modern cultural space. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the interpretation of jubilee concerts, choral assemblies, and memorial artistic events as important instruments for the functioning of the culture of memory in the fi eld of musical art. For the first time, a generalized analysis of artistic practices dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Mykhailo Krechko is carried out in the context of the actualization of his creative heritage and the formation of cultural memory in Ukrainian choral art. Conclusion. It has been established that jubilee artistic practices play a significant role in the processes of preservation and popularization of the creative heritage of prominent figures of musical culture. Concerts, choral assemblies, and memorial events dedicated to Mykhailo Krechko contribute to the actualization of his conducting, composing, and pedagogical activities, form cultural continuity, and support the development of contemporary Ukrainian choral art.

The rapid advancement of digital technology has catalyzed a profound transformation in media art, enabling its expansion across sensory, spatial, interactive, economic, and social dimensions in ways that challenge longstanding assumptions about artistic form, audience engagement, and cultural value. This article employs Marshall McLuhan's media theory — particularly the propositions that 'the medium is the message' and that media constitute extensions of the human sensorium — as an analytical framework to examine the multidimensional scalability of contemporary media art. Drawing on TeamLab Borderless Shanghai as a primary case study, the analysis proceeds through four interrelated dimensions: technology integration and sensory extension; interactivity and the reconfiguration of creative agency; spatio-temporal reconstruction; and economic and social transformation. The article argues that media art, understood through a McLuhanesque lens, does not merely deploy digital technology as a neutral vehicle for aesthetic content; rather, the technological medium itself is the constitutive message, actively reshaping perceptual ratios, reconfiguring the ontological boundary between artwork and audience, and generating systemic socio-economic effects. As generative artificial intelligence and extended reality technologies deepen their integration with artistic practice, the scalable boundaries of media art will continue to expand, warranting sustained theoretical and empirical attention from scholars of media, culture, and the arts.

This account charts the development of the art scene in Liverpool during the late 1970s and 1980s, beginning with the author’s own arrival in the city and enrolment as a student on the Fine Art course at Liverpool Polytechnic, and his subsequent activities as an artist and co-founder of Liverpool Artists Workshop. The narrative gives insight into efforts by young artists working in Liverpool to explore contemporary art’s intersection with politics and the role played by Bryan Biggs and the Bluecoat gallery in supporting art practice addressing sociopolitical issues, including work by feminist and young British Black artists.

This research aims to reinterpret the cultural and historical value of the “Pazyryk” carpet, which was found in the kurgans of the Hun Turks and recognized as the earliest example of Turkish carpet art through digital technologies. In this context, it is to examine the process of transforming the visual and sensory dimension of cultural heritage into new forms of expression that arouse curiosity in the audience and encourage research by animating the motifs and figures on the carpet using today's technologies, thereby enhancing the visual and sensory dimensions of cultural heritage. The study was conducted through a detailed literature review of the cultural and historical context of the motifs and figures in the Pazyryk carpet within the scope of the explanatory case study method, and an examination of similar digital applications and approaches, followed by an application study using various digital techniques, sound effects and animations on a total of 24 figures. Thanks to the digital application, the revitalization of traditional motifs with contemporary art techniques offered the audience the opportunity to build a bridge between the past and modern design, and paved the way for the reinterpretation of the universal values of the symbols of Turkish culture. By revealing the impact of technological innovations on the reproduction of historical motifs, the study emphasizes the potential of digital transformation of cultural heritage in areas such as education, art and tourism. In addition, this study is considered as an important step towards the protection of cultural heritage, blending modern art and historical narrative, and revealing the richness and historical depth of Turkish culture by reinterpreting Turkish motifs in digital environment.

ABSTRACT The objective of this paper is to investigate the artworks of Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige and Lawrence Abu Hamdan from the post-colonial point of view. In order to do so, two installations that were displayed at the Venice Biennale in 2015 and 2019 were examined. This research aims to investigate post-colonial studies in contemporary art. To accomplish this aim, this paper employed post-colonial studies that are related to historical resistance to colonialism. The findings revealed that post-colonial concepts, including the challenge to the concept of Other, emphasis on the third space, resistance to power, and narration of subaltern experiences, are evident in the artworks of Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige and Lawrence Abu Hamdan. Moreover, their works challenge colonial concepts by highlighting the pivotal role of the audience in major exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale.

The Cult of Beauty at Wellcome Collection offered an interdisciplinary exploration of the human pursuit of beauty, interweaving historical artifacts with contemporary art and innovative installations. Through its transhistorical, cross-cultural approach, the exhibition broadens visitors’ understanding of beauty beyond traditional binaries, embracing it as both scientific and poetic, engineered and inherent. The curatorial approach is intentionally non-linear, fostering diverse perspectives. Makeup is explored within this framework, revealing human endeavors to enhance appearance and the continuous innovation and creativity. Methodologies of interdisciplinary curatorial praxis, fashion and material culture are employed concurrently in the exhibition. It combines historical and contemporary makeup objects and relevant ephemera across time, geographies, and cultures, juxtaposed with larger-scale, collaborative, transdisciplinary commissioned installations, thereby demonstrating sociocultural, scientific, and technological turning points in the context of makeup. The exhibition delves into the material culture and innovation of makeup, showcasing how design transformed the industry. It also highlights the importance of accessibility and sustainability in the cosmetics sector. New, transdisciplinary commissions bring a fresh perspective to the understanding of makeup, revealing the material science of makeup, exploring how scientific knowledge is acquired through sensory experiences and the impact of social media and new digital technologies on global beauty trends.

ABSTRACT Through autoethnographic encounters with selected artworks from the exhibition One Hundred Thousand Small Tales (OHTST) at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) Sri Lanka, and grounded in the author’s lived experiences, this paper presents how art activates inherited memories and reveals the forms of erasure and absence. It argues that these artworks operate as affective repositories that resist official narratives by making visible the intimate and fragmented histories often excluded from public discourse. The analysis is framed as a conversation between the spectator (author) and the artworks, where each piece becomes an active participant in revisiting and reframing memories of the Tamil community. In so doing, it also highlights how art can create spaces where personal memories intersect and offer alternative ways of understanding the emotional and political afterlives of war.

ABSTRACT This article examines the role of the uncanny in visual artworks that invite the viewer to rethink the body in the light of environmental change and plastic pollution. Drawing on Stacy Alaimo’s concept of trans-corporeality, I explore how the uncanny contributes to (re)imaging the body as inextricably enmeshed with plastic waste. My focus is on artistic portrayals of trans-corporeality that evoke uncanny feelings. I analyse three science-inspired artworks that exemplify uncanny trans-corporeality in contemporary visual art: Swaantje Güntzel’s artwork MICROPLASTICS II (2016), Christine Baker’s sculpture Micro Plastic Menu (2022), and Thijs Biersteker’s interactive installation Plastic Reflectic (2016). In the analysis of the case studies, I make two points: first, I show that the feeling of the uncanny arises from revealing the enmeshment of the body with plastic waste and the unpredictable agency of nonhuman matter; second, I consider several features that support and reinforce the uncanny effects of the artworks: distorted scales, the figure of the double, and the strange suggestive resemblances of plastic to body parts and other material things.

Haute couture is regarded as the epitome of high fashion – an exquisite combination of a designer’s vision, techniques of rarefied artisanal construction and an unaffordable luxury for most. The figure of the clown, in contrast, is regarded by some scholars and audiences as belonging to the realm of the ‘clod-like’, as a humorous figure that appeals to humanity’s desire for low if not base comedy. Yet haute couture and the practice of clowning have much in common – individuality in dress, exquisite craftsmanship and the desire to provide spectacular and speculative experiences for their respective audiences. Both fashion and clowning have a particular affinity to avant-garde artistic practices. Could popular culture theory contemplate the intersection of haute couture and techniques of clowning in producing a new and distinct species of darkly humorous performance and high fashion? A theoretical examination of the glamour of haute couture and clowning is provided to demonstrate the similarities between these iconic cultural popular culture phenomena. Within comics and cinema figures such as the Joker and Harley Quinn feature prominently as exemplars of both fashion and clowning. Musician and actor Lady Gaga provides a unique example of a contemporary artist who may act as a model for the ‘glam clown’ as a distinct figure for both clowning and fashion.

In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, the relationship between basic arts education and higher art education institutions faces unprecedented challenges and transformations. This research examines the disparities in enrollment standards between fundamental art education programs and higher art colleges in China during the AI era, drawing from extensive professional experience and empirical observations. The study specifically investigates the complex dynamics between traditional art education principles and the emerging influence of specialized art college entrance examination training institutions. Through systematic analysis, this research identifies critical gaps in the current educational framework, particularly focusing on the misalignment between basic art education objectives and the selection criteria employed by higher art institutions. The investigation reveals significant tensions in the supply-demand relationship between foundational art education and professional art colleges, highlighting how these disparities affect student development and educational outcomes. Furthermore, the research examines the structural challenges within China's contemporary art education system, including the impact of commercialized training institutions and their influence on student preparation methods. By critically evaluating these interconnected factors, this study proposes strategic approaches to address the existing educational disparities and suggests innovative solutions to bridge the gap between basic and higher art education standards, ultimately aiming to enhance the coherence and effectiveness of the entire art education pipeline in the AI era.

Premise unprecedented possibleness while raising sound and originative challenge, the speedy procession of intelligence technology is transmute the landscape of artistic innovation. This technical rotation has disrupted paradigms of esthetic yield, conduct to a substantial blurring of established creative bounds. Innovate equivocalness across three decisive dimensions, the growth of AI art has essentially challenge the formal whim of a curious Divine, : the creative matter, the creative operation. And the creative production. This translation has generated complications in the sound area, specially view copyright protection and ownership ascription. When confront the singular feature of AI-father art, hence the subsist fabric, designed for traditional aesthetic study, test progressively inadequate. For explicate rich mechanism to protect the originality of AI-render oeuvre, a pressing pauperization exists. This review nominate a fabric for accost these challenge through three key intercession: foremost, the establishment of limpid creation and traceability mechanisms that document the AI's role in the esthetic process; second, the development and implementation of copyright and supervision systems cut to AI art; and, the invention of platform for artist make with AI technologies. Through the heedful reconciliation of technological capability. Expression, and and regulatory organisation, these bar, crop in concert, can alleviate the sustainable exploitation of AI art. While embracing technological foundation in the acquire landscape of contemporaneous art, this approach ensure the saving of integrity.

Score a new era in museum studies. In late years, art museums have undergo meaning translation in their developmental trajectory. This enquiry try the acquire office of art museums as they transition from curious cultural repository to multifaceted histrion within urban ecosystems. As knowledge producers. Information disseminators. Tourism facilitators. And urban ecology builders, contemporaneous art museums now operate. This expanded scope necessitates a critical reassessment of their fundamental aspects, including institutional positioning, academic contribution, public engagement, and sustainability within an increasingly complex operational environment. Through the lense of 'New Art Museum Studies,' this inquiry inherently leave brisk insight into the phylogeny of museum practices, specially concern the ingredient of masses, infinite, thereby and institutional organization. The study presents a elaborated case analysis of the Contemporary Gallery of Kunming (CGK), an art institution in Southwest China, see its six-year development trajectory. By canvas CGK's integrating of research with perspectives, this investigating essentially evidence how art museums can maximise their developmental voltage while cling to museum trends and meet their societal responsibility. Across proportion, the inquiry draws CGK's phylogenesis: from exhibition curation to public education initiatives, from academic discussion to community engagement. And from institutional independency to help. This shift inherently illustrates the unsounded impact art museums can have on urban ethnic ecology, evoke new image for museum development in the twenty-maiden C.

ABSTRACT Among the earliest contemporary Chinese artists to experiment with ink as a medium, Gu Wenda stands out for his subversive reworking of the ink tradition. Fusing diverse artistic forms, media, and concepts, Gu’s experimental ink art exemplifies a translational space: it both continues the technical, material, and cultural legacy of traditional Chinese art and material while subjecting them to reinvention according to new material and aesthetic constraints. This article takes translation as its analytical concept to interrogate the transcultural and transmedial dimensions of Gu’s experimental ink art. By exploring how the materiality of ink enacts translation and what kinds of translations are performed through ink, the article seeks to conduct a fruitful dialogue between Chinese art and translation studies and propose translation as a generative method for understanding the ongoing transformation of diverse materials and traditions in contemporary art.

Curating otherwise: queer intersectional practices in contemporary art institutions

An art historian would tell you that temples provide us with not just a place to worship the Divine, but also remarkable architectural and artistic contributions. The design of temples has been established according to the science of Vastu Shastra, which contains extensive wisdom and intelligence stemming from our ancestors and current culture. The architecture and sculpture located within temples are examples of the various cultural, historical and spiritual narratives in existence at the time that will aid the understanding of the artistic and academic achievements of that era. You may be surprised that I call the temple's creators "artists" as opposed to "artisans," but you should know that the individuals responsible for designing and constructing the temples infused their artworks with both an aesthetic vision and a compelling story. Academic definitions state that those who have mastered the principles of art and aesthetics are generically referred to as "artists." The temple creators were not simply talented tradesman; they were also educated laborers who adhered to the rules of Vastu Shastra, creating ageless masterpieces which will continue to delight. There has always been confusion regarding who was first in creating sculpture and painting and where these artworks originated from. In addition to that, these types of art raise questions about how art is made, who creates all of this artistic expression, why it’s done in different ways and who has come up with the concept for planning the various forms of artwork. Understanding temple architecture and its relevance to religious practices also requires a consideration of some related questions and answers. Temples are where, in the ancient period, people could go for knowledge; and all of the educational aspects of this knowledge are now found on temple walls just like they were at that time. In terms of the temple architecture of Odisha, many different dynastic rulers built these monumental temples: Sailodbhava dynasty, Bhumankara dynasty, Soma Bansi dynasty, Ganga dynasty, Gajapati, Bhoi and many other smaller dynasties all played a role in building this great architectural heritage throughout Odisha. Artists and art connoisseurs provided the majority of what was needed to create all of the artwork and set a standard for future generations; and thus were the major contributors to creating the legacy of artists, builders and architects in temple architecture. This was made possible through the expertise of the vastukara who had vast amounts of knowledge in structural engineering (i.e. authentic knowledge of structural engineering) and who had a high level of knowledge of sculptural expressions. Using their expertise, patrons (or clients) were able to turn dream-like ideas into reality and etch their names into the history of time, yet, not one of these artists’ or creators’ names was inscribed anywhere.

This article addresses the relationship between art and animals within the context of a poetic research in the field of visual arts. The objective is to discuss the participation of animals in contemporary art and the recurring utilitarian and anthropocentric approaches, proposing, in contrast, a collaborative practice in which animals act as co-authors of artistic works. It draws on partial results from the research linked to the master’s thesis “Contemporary Poetics: The Human and Animal Connection,” under development in the Graduate Program in Visual Arts at UFSM, with a methodological approach derived from Passeron’s poetics. This study is complemented by bibliographic and artistic references related to anti-speciesist practices, in which animals are recognized for their uniqueness and dignity, acting as collaborative agents in creative processes. This perspective is exemplified through the work Rebanho (2024), developed by the author, which seeks to build a genuinely collaborative art with production animals, respecting their limits and establishing forms of affective communication. The proposal, grounded in breaking with the capitalist logic of animal exploitation, suggests new ways of cohabitation and collaboration between humans and non-humans in the field of art.