11/10/2015

WTF?.ThebigquestionaboutContemporaryArt|LaVulpes

WTF?.Thebigquestionabout
ContemporaryArt
14ABRIL,2014 / LAVULPES

MuseoNacionalCentrode
ArteContemporaneoReina
Sofia.Madrid,2013.
YougotoaMuseumofModernandContemporaryArtandwhatyouseeisachair,aurinary,a
heapofdetergentboxestogether,arippedblankcanvas,acanwithfecesinsideit(butnotany
feces.theartists),videosofperformancesofanartiststaringatpeopleorlettingpeopledoto
her body whatever they like with it, pictures of landscapes intervened and transformed by the
artist,streetgraffittisorcubesassculptures.Ifyougotoagallery,youmayfindachairlikethe
oneyouhaveathome,geometricalforms,sculptedorpainted,pagesfullofsenselesswords,
ordinary objects named as artistic objects, abstract paintings and a lot of other things that
makesyouask:WHATTHEF*KISTHIS?
Yougotoalittleexhibitionopeninginatinygalleryfromthecitycentreanditissocrowded!All
thepeopletalking,meetingeachother,drinkingfreebeer,dancingandlisteningtomusicthatis
beingplayedliveMeanwhile,theartpiecesyouwenttoseeareignored.Ifyouwouldliketo
havealookatthem,youcantbecausetherearesomanypeoplecrowdedtogether.Andthisis
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WTF?.ThebigquestionaboutContemporaryArt|LaVulpes

whenyouaskyourselfWHERETHEF*KAREYOU?OrWHERETHEF*KISTHEARTYOU
WERE SUPPOSED TO GO SEE? You forget about them, joining in the crowded atmosphere
andyoustartenjoyingArtasasocialevent.Attheendofthenightyougobackhomewithout
rememberinganythingaboutthepicturesyouwereabouttosee,butwithabunchofnewfriend
requestsonFacebook.WTFwithArtnowadays?:Itsdead,ArthurC.Dantosaidinthe80s.

IwillneverforgetwhatayoungteachertoldusonedayFacingthequestionaboutwhatart
was,shealwaysaskedherself,andtous,whatisArt,butinwhichperiodofArthistory?
IfwethinkofArtasatechnicalprogressofrepresentationandvisualperception,then,itdoesnt
exist anymore. What does this mean? This means that the historical meaning of Art is
exhausted. That happened around 1905, when painters and sculptors started asking
themselveswhatthecinemamediumleftthemtorepresent.Fromthebeginningofcivilization
until the end of the 19th century, we believe that Art is a continuous history of technical
progression in representation based in the mimesis (copying worlds reality). That continuity
stoppedwhentheAvantgardemovementstransformedArtintosomethingwithouthistory.Since
then,Artisindependentbecauseithadbeingcompletedorfinishedthroughitsselfthinking,so
it is no longer supported by history, but now it is supported by theory. Knowing this we can
answerwhatmyteacheraskedwithonesimplequote:beforethe20thcentury,Artrepresented
imagesandafterthelastcentury,Artthinksimages.
Unlikepaintingandsculptingastechnicalmediumsofrepresentation,sincethebeginningofthe
20th century, everything can be transformed into an artistic medium, and everything can be
thoughtofasart:
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WTF?.ThebigquestionaboutContemporaryArt|LaVulpes

Myworkistobreathe

MarcelDuchamp.
Nowadays, the conception of artistic progress goes beyond painting or sculpture and reflects
theexpansionofourrepresentationpower.Untilthe19thcentury,theartist(painterorsculptor)
owned the technology to provide real vital experiences. A picture in the Renaissance was
alwaysconsideredasawindowtotheworld,andthroughouthistorytherewasthebeliefthat
in painting everything would be shown. But that progress stopped when photography and
cinemasuddenlyappeared.Perhapsweshouldblamethem?Thedistancebetweenrealityand
representationslightened,evendisappearingwiththosenewmediums,butalsowiththeready
mades years later. Conversely, abstract painting emphasized the distance between
representationandperception.
Expresionism, Abstraction, Surrealism or Cubism, although being traditional painting, their
representation distances itself from the visual conventions of perception, making it difficult to
recognizewhatispainted.Thereisnomoreprojectionoftheoutsideworldbutaprojectionof
theartistsinsideworld.Artstartedgoinginthesamedirectionasartists,becomingintroverted
and expressing itself. Art is an expression. Then it is used as a kind of language. But does
anybodyknowthatlanguage?Cananybodyuseittoexpresssomething?Butmostimportant,
cananybodyunderstandit?
Another distance is contained in present Art, that is the distance between perception and
understanding,betweentheartpiecesandthepublic.Iftraditionalartistsweresearchingforthe
bestwaytorepresenttheworld,andtheniftheystartedtouseartasawayofanexpressionof
themselvesandfinallyifArtandartistsignoredtheworldinordertoexpressandthinkArtitself,
whatisthepurposeorutilityofArt?IfDuchampdeclaredthatartiseverythingthatisa priori,
andthatanybodycandoitwhyisArtonlywhatisinsidethemuseumsorgalleries?
Artisdead,itseems.Notbecauseofitsselfthinkingbutalsobecauseofitsutility.Itoldyou
howapieceofartcanbeignoredinanexhibitiongallery.Beingasindependentasitisnow,
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WTF?.ThebigquestionaboutContemporaryArt|LaVulpes

what connection can Art have with the reality where it comes from? If not everybody
understandsit,whatisitspurpose?WhyisContemporaryArtsoproblematic?Wheredoesthe
problemcomefrom?FromhistoryorfromArtitself?Whydontpeoplelikeit?Idontknow.Ijust
knowthatIloveitbecauseIhateit.Ihateitbecauseitsinsofpretentiousness,itissoexclusive
andbecausesometimesitstreatedlikeaproductButIloveitbecauseitmakesmequestion
it,andIreallylikethereactionitprovokesinpeople.

and we visited a museum, the Pompidou Center. Yes, the biggest

contemporaryartcenterthatIhaveeverseen.ItisTOOMUCH.Wespent
four hours and we couldnt see all of it () It was TOO MUCH. Madness!
Therewerealotofpeopleandthatwashuge.Ourbodyandheadhurtus
becausetherewereworksthatmademeaskwhatthehellaretheydoing
there I dont know what to tell you about contemporary art anymore, it
lookslikeafraudtome,theyaremakingfunofpeopleintheirfaceswhile
they believe themselves so intellectual by feeling marveled in front of
pieces that arent worth anything and that dont say anything because
theyareabsolutelynothing.TheworldiscrazyGio.

Noe.

MyfingerpointingPompidou
CenterfromMontMartre.
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WTF?.ThebigquestionaboutContemporaryArt|LaVulpes

Paris,2011.
MaybeContemporaryArtisnotsobeautiful,butitisveryinteresting.Asmyfriendexpressed
herself, here you have other kinds of reactions about some contemporary exhibitions I have
visitedthroughgalleriesandmuseums.

Commentsaboutaexhibition
intheGalleryofModernArtin
Glasgow(2011)

Vandalexpressioninthe
ContemporaryArtMuseumof
Barcelonaprogramthatsays:
Fuckoffyourintellectual
bullshit(2012)
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Commentsaboutan
exhibition(up)atthe
GalleryofModernArt
inGlasgow(2014)
In conclusion, Contemporary Art pieces makes me think about what Art can be, in an similar
attitudetoJeanDubuffets,whowonderedifArtcouldexistwhereitisnotnamed

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WTF?.ThebigquestionaboutContemporaryArt|LaVulpes

WhatIthinkaboutContemporaryArt.

Instagram@juanalavulpes
(2014)
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