Scholarly record
CONTEMPORARY ART AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
Abstract
The paper aims to explore the potential role of contemporary art as a catalyst for social transformation and civic engagement. The research focuses on the visual arts and their power to change social attitudes in contemporary society. On the basis of theoretical, transdisciplinary approaches and analysis of artwork the paper investigates emerging forms of art and how they address pressing social issues and concerns that would otherwise remain unfamiliar. Artwork that reveals social phenomena and trends lying hidden under the surface of social reality arein a senseonly exist thanks to the reaction of the audience. The research provides insights both into the art practices developed through relationships with communities and their social impact. The text concludes with an attempt to present various art practices understood as discursive animations of public spaces. The research findings offer the opportunity to introduce new interpretations of the complex and difficult relation between art and society to the contemporary academic discourse. The text stresses that today the study of art phenomena would be difficult without transdisciplinary approaches. There is a need for further research, but the paper confirms the potential of this direction of study.
Publication Impact Profile
Publication details
References14
Phillips P. C., Creating Democracy: a Dialogue with Krzysztof Wodiczko, Art Journal, vol. 62/issue 4, pp 32-47, 2003.
Simoniti V., Assessing Socially Engaged Art, Journal of Aesthetics & Art Criticism, vol. 76/issue 1, pp 71-82, 2018.
Calo C. G., From Theory to Practice: Review of the Literature on Dialogic Art, Public Art Dialogue, vol. 2/issue 1, pp 64-78, 2012.
Żmijewski A., Stosowane sztuki społeczne, Krytyka Polityczna, issue 11/12, pp 14-24, 2007.
Sowa J., Stosowane sztuki społeczne: od symulakrum do aktywizmu (i z powrotem?), 2007. Retrieved from http://archiwum-obieg.u-jazdowski.pl/teksty/1861
Bishop C., Artificial Hells: Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship, Verso, London - New York, 2012.
Faiola A., Refugee crisis a canvas for art in Europe, Toronto Star, Canada, Feb 17, 2016.
Center for Political Beauty, n.d. Retrieved from http://politicalbeauty.com
Lewicki A., ‘The dead are coming’: acts of citizenship at Europe’s borders, Citizenship Studies, vol. 21/issue 3, pp 275-290, 2017.
Kabrońska J., Artysta jako whistle-blower. In: Sztuka, polityka, pieniądze. Sytuacja artysty w świecie współczesnym, Instytut Kultury Miejskiej, Gdańsk, pp 127-133, 2015.
Reinelt J., Rai S. M, The Grammar of Politics and Performance, Routledge, London, 2015.
Wodiczko K., Wodiczko: socjoestetyka; rozmawia Adam Ostolski, Wydawnictwo Krytyki Politycznej, Warszawa, 2015.
Wodiczko K., Krzysztof Wodiczko, October, issue 123, pp 172–179, 2008.
Beech D., Projecting the Future, Art Monthly, issue 409, pp 1-5, 2017.
View or Download full articleAccess options
SWS access login
Login as SWS Scientific CommitteeLogin as SWS Scientific PartnerLogin as SWS AuthorAuthors and approved SWS contributors will read and export their own linked papers after identity matching by SWS profile, email and SGEM GlobalID.
For librarian assistance: [email protected]
Purchase Instant Access
- Article can be downloaded after successful payment.
- Article may be used according to SWS library access terms.
- Article cannot be redistributed.
