Contemporary Art

The term contemporary art generally refers to art being done now. The use of the literal adjective "contemporary" to define this period in art history is partly due to the lack of any distinct or dominant school of art as recognized by artists, art historians and critics. It tends to include art made from the late 1960s to the present, or after the end of modern art or the Modernist period.

Art made or performed since Modernism is also sometimes calledpostmodern art, but as postmodernism can refer to both a historical timeframe and an aesthetic approach, and many contemporary artists' work does not exhibit some of the key elements of the postmodern aesthetic, "contemporary" may be preferred as a more inclusive adjective.

Trends In Contemporary Art

Perhaps the most defining aspect of contemporary art is its indefinability. Prior to the late 1960s, most artwork could be categorized fairly easily into oneparticular media or a specific school. Even through the 1970s and 80s, one can see certain trends such as Conceptual Art, Performance Art, Feminist Art, Pop Art, Graffiti Art. Art after the Modern Era has transformed along with the large-scale economic, global, political, and socio-cultural change.

The growing speed of the transference of ideas, money, information and culture around the globe seems to be happening within art worlds as well. Many of the boundaries and disctinctions within Art have loosened.

Contemporary art should not be confused with the workings of modern art, although the trends and movements in contemporary practice may directly refer to modernism. Much of the direction of modern art involved exploring the very basis of painting, for instance, color, brush stroke, and canvas.

Philosopher and art critic Arthur Danto has asserted that modernism (as well as "art history" itself) came to its end with the making of Andy Warhol's Brillo Boxes, which functioned as art yet were largely indistinguishable from their real life counterparts. These sculptures therefore marked the end of any pretense that art had some essential and objectively discernible trait that separated it from non-art objects.

One notable characteristic of Contemporary art is that it often engages matters and issues that presently affect the world. Cloning, politics, economics, issues of gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, human rights, war or perhaps even the high price of bread being sold locally. This emphasis on politics,though not entirely new, does seem to have intensified. Historically, art was more closely aligned with aesthetic notions of beauty, purity and transcendence. It was identified with higher thoughts--not politics. The breaking down of this distinction is a significant aspect of contemporary art.

Contemporary art often also crosses the boundaries of medium; it is not limited by materials or methodology. It may or may not use traditional forms such as painting, drawing, and sculpture but may engage performance, installation, video or any sundry of materials.

Since the modernist days of the first half of the 20th century, art has also engaged post-modernism, neo-conceptualism, High art Lite (the Young British Artists movement (YBAs) of the mid nineties), the Irrealists of the early 21st century, as well as multi-culturalist work within the post-postmodern. It often engages a multi-disciplinary discourse, utilizing a diverse body of skills and peoples to ultimately engage the mass with a substantial, and sometimes provocative discourse pertaining to the relevant issues shaping the world right now.It is continually engaging, and affecting the boundaries of perception.

Contemporary artists today such as The Yes Men, uS, Vanessa Beecroft,Maurizio Cattelan, and Marc Quinn utilize a sophisticated language to communicate with a variety of audiences. The relationship between the viewer and the artist has grown increasingly complex over the later half of the 20th century and into the 21st.

Contemporary art is becoming increasingly more global, and is slowly breaking down the cultural barriers that separate the antiquated elitism of high art from the public forum of the masses. Irrealist artist Tristan Tondino (1961 - 2002) claimed that the history of art is the history of Irrealism - i.e. the destruction of absolutism.

One of his paintings entitled "Realism is an Irrealism" is a powerful description of Contemporary art. Another painting entitiled "Realism is Fascism - Reality
requires an Army" has a similar tone.

The future development of Contemporary art is often directed by massive biennials (The Whitney Biennial, The Venice, Sao Paulo, the Kwan Ju, the Havana...),riennials (Echigo-Tsumari), and most importantly the exhibition of documenta in Kassel, Germany.

Contemporary Art Museums

The first contemporary art center in the United States, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center was founded in 1971 by Alana Reiss. Located in Long Island City, New York in the borough of Queens just across the East River from Manhattan, P.S.1 offers innovative contemporary artwork across and crossing a range of media.

In 2004, the art center joined forces with the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). In addition to providing gallery, exhibition and performance space for working artists, P.S.1/MoMA presents a number of community-based programs such as their Saturday afternoon summer "Warm-Up" event combining outdoor barbecue, art and bands or dj's all in their courtyard entrance. This is an example of how contemporary museums and art centers have worked to reach out to youth and young adults in their communities.

Though billed as a museum for Black artists, The Studio Museum of Harlem (SMH), New York, U.S.A. also regularly features work by local, national and international contemporary artists. SMH opened in 1977 in a rented studio space on 125th St. It's notable 2000 Exhibition "Freestyle," curated by Thelma Golden showed the work of emerging black artists and it was around this show that the term 'post-black' was conceived. Post-black referring to art made by Americans of African descent that contained a more postmodern aesthetic and did not necessarily solidify around a Black identity.

One of the first contemporary art museums in the U.S., The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum was opened to the public by founder Larry Aldrich in 1964. Over the course of its forty-year history, the Museum has become renowned as a national leader for its presentation of outstanding new art, cultivation of emerging artists, and innovation in museum education.