The Social Turn Clare Bishop Analysis

Contemporary female British artists Jenny Saville and Tracey Emin, both emerged as Young British Artists in the late twentieth century. They were championed by art connoisseur Charles Saatchi and following his initial backing, have become household names in the international art world with a reputation for being overly feminist in their narrative. This essay investigates the artworks of both Emin, and Saville in order to determine if their art really is feminist in its narrative or is it autobiographical and self-expressive in line with feminist cultural theory. These women artists and their art are worthy of investigation, for the contribution and legacy that they now play with respect to the roles of females in art history and theory.

“In contrast to government-commissioned public art, street art is illicit and subversive in nature. Therefore, most street artists, including Banksy, use pseudonyms to avoid legal prosecution for vandalism.”(Chung 27) Banksy’s street art does not focus on competing with rival artists, but focuses on engaging with a broader audience in a deeper level. He provokes his audience by deeply expressing out various social practices that helps viewers to reflect and confront certain aspects together as a community. (27) The underlying message of Banksy’s art can lead towards an active involvement of street art within the community.

Art is not always pleasant, but neither is society. Art and society have a reflective relationship with one another. During social, religious, and political controversy, artists such as Frida Kahlo incorporated imagery into their portraits of society which are often disturbing to the viewer. The role of an artist often includes acting as a social critic, to show us aspects of our cultural landscape that are unpleasant. In this manner, the art acts as a commentary on the negative aspects of Western civilisation. During the thirties and forties, Kahlo incorporated the hidden realities of economic and social depression into her works.

However, the “live” is still typically absent. As the audience for this kind of art, we are always complicit in its meaning. This ringing especially true to any sort of “live” performance. With artworks such as this, one has to allow for themselves to be changed in response to the stimuli. O’Grady pushed the limits when it came to identity in her pieces, she went against the norm and decided to be different. Others chose to intervene into public spaces such as the street, or in this case a parade, to instigate a conversation between the viewer and performer - as one, they work together to allow for later viewers to understand the motif and the

To fully understand street art as a concept in itself, it is vital to explore why the art is made on, and for, the street. According to Chung (2009) art on the street “allows artists a platform to reach a broader audience than traditional art forms”. This is supported by Young (2016) who argues that the “street is the biggest gallery you could ever want”, the author goes on to note that often a “galleries audience is self-selecting and homogenous”- belonging in an “elitist art world”. This implies that unlike classical art in galleries, street art cannot discriminate and is open and available to everyone despite their background or beliefs. Not only does the street allow the art to be widely seen, its accessibility indicates the ideas of

I found myself intrigued in Sara Schneckloth’s reads this week because of innovative way she performs her arts, which are according to both the papers involves it audience (the spectators).

In the words of Gay McAuley, “for an activity to be regarded as a performance, it must involve the live presence of the performers and those witnessing it…” (McAuley, 2009, cited in Schechner, 2013, pp.38). This statement recognises the importance of both the actor and the audience for something to truly function as a performance. In addition, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones highlights the significance of the theatrical space and how it can influence an audience stating that “on entering a theatre of any kind, a spectator walks into a specific space, one that is designed to produce a certain reaction or series of responses” (Llewellyn-Jones, 2002, pp.3). The relationship between actor, audience and theatrical space is no less important today than it was at the time of theatre during the Spanish Golden Age and the creation of Commedia dell’arte in Italy. Despite being very close geographically with theatre thriving for both in the same era, sources that explore the social, cultural and historical context of these countries and the theatre styles will bring to light the similarities and differences. This essay will analyse the staging, the behaviour of the audience as well as the challenges the actors faced, and how this directly influenced the relationship between actor, audience and theatrical space.

Art is a catalyst of change. It can confront both social and political issues as well as providing people with a creative outlet in which they can express their innermost thoughts and feelings - but what effect can art have on our society as a whole? Artists today have the unique ability to connect with people in a creative, innovative way that they can understand and interpret themselves. With this ability, artists are able to express their own views as well as influencing the views of others. Art is an immense part of our world – so much so that we barely even consider its impact upon us – but just how significant is the work of artists in our modern day society?

2.Even though some of Josef Hoffmann’s paintings of the staging failed to be transformed into practice, they possesses high quality that shows us the paintings’ ability to visualize what’s grand and metaphysical. In this case, how should we evaluate the role of painting, a genre that Wagner did not pay huge

Taking following extreme cases of abstraction, when speaking of Pollock’s work such as his ”Autumn Rhythm” (1950), we realize how the visual formed is fully based on science and gravity that permits the dripping and pouring of the paint on the horizontal canvas. But, by walking around/on the canvas we can argue Greenberg’s analysis and suppose that the painter possibly connects with it, he gets drowned in the act and merges inside the painting while mechanically pouring paint on the canvas. This means that even though the painter tries to focus on the flatness of the painting rather than the content and is physically detached from the canvas, this focus cannot erase an emotional

The artists stand in front of many individuals and display their expression and passion to be judged and celebrated. Ames, Van Meter explains in the ethics journal “Art as Expression” that, “art is not so much experience as a transformation of it which may be called ‘expression.’” This statement helps further explain the expression of art and furthers the point that art requires skill and an expression of that skill. Daniel Beaty expresses his skill as an artist in the performance of his poem “Knock Knock,” in this video he truly expresses his art, captivating the audience with his memories of his father and their game. Beaty proves the expansion of what we consider art with his great expression of his poems, breaking the molds of traditional art and further disproving Harold Blooms opinion about slam

Definition. There exists a cornucopia of terminology when it comes to activism realized through the arts. Among them are: “social practice” (which circumvents the method of engagement); “socially engaged art”; “arts activism”; “social justice art”; “community-based art”; etc. (Dewhurst, 2010; Helguera, 2011). Although many of these terms can be used interchangeably, for the sake of consistency this paper will refer to this practice as “socially engaged arts,” or SEA. As Dewhurst aptly outlines, “Despite these various names, this work often shares a commitment to create art that draws attention to, mobilizes action towards, or attempts to intervene in systems of inequality or injustice” (2010, p.1). Platt (2010) places singular emphasis on the artist who is “committed to engaging contemporary political issues…convinced of the urgent necessity to use the power of art…to make visible what is kept invisible…” (p. xiv). The work of the participants of SEA is one half to a whole for creating arts, the other half being the audience participation and feedback. As Shank (2004) alleges, the two main strategies for presenting SEA to audiences are targeting powerful organizations and constituents, or powerless organizations and constituents (p. 539). Platt’s vision of the lone artist is better utilized for global exposure with powerful audiences to react to injustices made visible, however this paper will focus primarily on engaging audiences who are marginalized.

This paper will explore a range of perspectives on the relationship between the live event and the document within performance practice, specifically focus on in relation to body, time and space. Performance art is commonly known as a performance presented to a viewer within a fine art context. Through performance artists emphasize the body’s role in artistic production. Historically, performance archive has been characterized as an unfaithful representation of the momentary art experience. Yet, in contemporary art the relationship between live performance practices and documentation has progressed towards reconciliation. Whether, the performance is scripted or unscripted, the performer’s body is present or absent. Performance art can happen in any type of venue and for any length of time. Documentation of performance practice documents the actions of an individual or a group at a particular place and in a particular time.

Throughout history, artistic projects have been created as an expressive outlet regarding the societal events of a time period. Regardless of the medium, works of art often carry inspirational messages and have the ability to resonate with large audiences. While it is often criticised, the belief that art can be used as a tool to generate political change, is widespread and a fundamental motivator for many artists. Political activism and art correspond through a shared goal of engaging and expanding boundaries to create new perspectives. In some cases, both art and activism challenge common notions advocated by governmental authorities. Other times, activists and artists use their platforms to celebrate and promote leaders or policies. Despite the ultimate objective, art has the potential to evoke and stimulate a stance on the world and has always been a relevant factor in understanding political philosophy.

In these works, there is also evidence of the nature of the technique, the presentation style and the response of the audience”(20).