Contemporary Art

     Contemporary art encompasses art in forms of painting, sculpture, photography, installation, performance and video media. It was a movement that included many art subunits. Pop art which was the reaction to modern art its primary goal to portray mass culture. Photorealism its purpose was to create a sense of hyper realistic drawings and paintings. Conceptualism it wanted to prove that art wasn't a commodity. Minimalism just like conceptualism it challenges the structures of making, breaking down and viewing of art. It is a call for viewers to react to what is seen not to what they interpret a painting to mean. Performance Art is a drama approach to art essentially used as a form of entertainment; conveying an idea or moral. Installation art are three dimensional constructions that transform surrounding and perspective of the viewer. Earth Art is a form of work that utilizes natural landscapes. Street art is the most recent of contemporary art movement it became known by the use of graffiti often, utilized for social activism; it includes the following, murals, installations stenciled images and stickers. Five contemporary artists are Ana Mendieta, Yayoi Kusama, Marina Abramović, Kiki Smith and Barbara Kruger.

Ana Mendieta, Siluetas, 1973

     Ana Mendieta a Cuban American artist is considered a crucial figure in the Body Art Movement stemmed from the Performance Art Movement. She utilized the nude body as a way to depict the presence and its opposite. An essential component to her work is the absence
which is what contrasts the human and the ethereal. She is imperative to Land art, a movement between the relationship of landscape and art. Ana repeatedly used the natural environment as the setting in her artworks;
one can observe as it is reflected in the art created by her. An example of her earthworks called the Siluetas. These art pieces took place in natural locations that particularly meant something to the artist and which were embellished with indigenous elements of the same area.

     Yayoi Kusama an artist from Japan a who describes herself as an “obsessional artist”. She is

Yayoi Kusama, Infinity Mirror
Room-Phalli’s Field, 1962

widely recognized for her constant use of polka dots and infinity installations. Kusama’s idea for implementing dots to her artwork was her experiencing hallucinations that involved fields of dots; which shaped her career as an artist. Her “infinity net” paintings explored the physical and psychological areas of painting. The never ending repetition of the marks creates a hypnotic sensation to the viewer and the creator. Her artwork arose from the Minimalist movement, however, it transitioned to Pop and Performance art. The artwork by Yayoi is the Infinity Mirror Room-Phalli’s Field (1962) which is essentially a room that hundreds of stuffed phalli containing red dots covered the floor. The mirrors created infinite planes in her installation.

     Marina Abramović from Yugoslavia now Serbia challenged the limits and strength of her own

Marina Ambramović, The House with the Ocean View, 2002 

body and mind. Her performances were considered a ritual strain in the 1960s. She often put herself in a position of danger, in performances that were both lengthy and painful. Her art is viewed in a sacrificial and religious rite which was performed in front of an audience. The themes prevalent in her works are that of trust, endurance, cleansing, exhaustion and departure. Marina’s art did not reside on a canvas or sculpture but on her own body. The House with the Ocean View was a work which Abramović spent twelve days at the Sean Kelly Gallery without being able to eat, write or speak. She was contained within three rooms built six feet off the ground there she drank water, slept, urinated, showered, and gazed at her audience. The only thing that changed was the color of her outfit each day.

     Kiki Smith is an American artist recognized for her visceral and disturbing art works that present

Kiki Smith, Lilith, 1994 

the human body in great detail. Smith’s art was born within the walls of Minimalism and abstract art. She paved a path within Feminist art she made her point come across by utilizing visceral symbols of men and women, in addition to individual parts. This helped her present to the viewer the internal toxic effects of illness. This contributed to the awareness of the AIDS crisis at that time. In her sculpture Lilith, she clings to the wall located above the audience's head. In the Hebrew mythology, it is believed that Lilith was the first wife of Adam rather than Eve. Rather than seeing herself as inferior to Adam she wanted to be his equal something her did not approve and got her sent to the demon world. Thus, she became a symbol of female rebellion. Later on, Eve would be created from Adam's flesh would become submissive and obedient to her husband commands.

     Barbara Kruger is an American artist who is widely known for the manipulation of images and

Barbara Kruger,
 Untitled (Your Gaze Hits the Side of My Face,  1981 

text in photographic settings. She is considered a conceptual and pop artist. She left art and focused on using her knowledge of graphic design to present her art. Kruger critiqued political, social and feminist issues in her works. In addition, commented on religion, sex, racial and gender stereotypes, greed, and power. Her works contained the signature agitprop style with black and white images; including black, white and deep red text bar. One of her famous works is Untitled (Your Gaze Hits the Side of My Face (1981) a criticism on the Male Gaze. Rather than feasting the body of a woman they are just shown the side of her face.                    

     These five women artist have used their works as a voice of those who are often told to remain silent. They have not only brought change to art but have inspired other women to be fearless. They have created a new meaning to art and used it as a way to speak for small groups. By using their knowledge in a strategic way have not only made people question the norm but have brought awareness to simplicity.

Works Cited
Ana Mendieta
Yayoi Kusama 
Marina Abramović
Kiki Smith
Barbara Kruger
Contemporary Art