Previously... Relational Aesthetics in contemporary art, focusses on the "artistic activity striv[ing] to achieve modest connections, open up obstructed passages..." (Bourriaud, N, 2002, pp 8)
What is social practice? My own understanding of what it is, is the idea to engage with the audience, the people. This involves a 'mean' of bringing people together, to interact and engage in an activity, not dissimilar to Rirkrit Tirivanija's exhibitions mentioned previously. Artists have the intention to infiltrate subtly into a community/ a group of people, to make differences to some extent, and to establish a relationship between the audience/ participant and the art. This is eloquently explained in Rebecca Strokes article on Tirivanija's exhibition at MOMA:
Another example of social practice, where the 'viewer' becomes part of the art, is WeTubeLIVE- Dance Massive, where “young or old it is the same: go to you youtube and select a clip or several and from that/them make a solo. This performed response can be a copy, a comment or an investigation of themes:so long as it fits in a 1 meter square space, pretty much anything goes.” (Speth B, 2013) This 'massive' is taking a well known space (in this case, the National Gallery of Victoria) and turning it into a place for members of the public to express themselves.
New engagement with art and audience, allows artists to establish spaces where creativity can be expressed; creativity that is outside of the 'traditional' works found in already existing institutions. We can look at Linda Nochlin's article "Why have there been no great women artists?"(Nichlin L, 1971) and realise that even to this day, some national art galleries in the western world have remained to display what they consider 'the best of the best,' that "it is in our social arrangements: the white Western male viewpoint, unconsciously [is] accepted as the viewpoint of the art historian." (Nichlin L, 1971, pp. 1) And this what contemporary artists are striving to move away from...
References:
Bourriaud, Nicolas (2002), Relational Aesthetics, Presses du reel, Paris
LALA (2014), WeTubeLIVE- Dance Massive (online), retrieved from http://lalaishere.net/2013/04/we-tube-live/
Nochlin, L (1971), Why have there been no great women artists?, retrieved online from http://davidrifkind.org/fiu/library_files/Linda%20Nochlin%20%20Why%20have%20there%20been%20no%20Great%20Women%20Artists.pdf
Stokes, Rebecca (3 February 2012), Rirkrit Tiravanija: Cooking Up an Art Experience (online), retrieved from https://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2012/02/03/rirkrit-tiravanija-cooking-up-an-art-experience
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What is social practice? My own understanding of what it is, is the idea to engage with the audience, the people. This involves a 'mean' of bringing people together, to interact and engage in an activity, not dissimilar to Rirkrit Tirivanija's exhibitions mentioned previously. Artists have the intention to infiltrate subtly into a community/ a group of people, to make differences to some extent, and to establish a relationship between the audience/ participant and the art. This is eloquently explained in Rebecca Strokes article on Tirivanija's exhibition at MOMA:
“In this deceptively simple conceptual piece, the artist invites the visitor to interact with contemporary art in a more sociable way, and blurs the distance between artist and viewer. You aren’t looking at the art, but are part of it—and are, in fact, making the art as you eat curry and talk with friends or new acquaintances.n this deceptively simple conceptual piece, the artist invites the visitor to interact with contemporary art in a more sociable way, and blurs the distance between artist and viewer. You aren’t looking at the art, but are part of it—and are, in fact, making the art as you eat curry and talk with friends or new acquaintances."
(Strokes R, 2012)
(Strokes R, 2012)
Another example of social practice, where the 'viewer' becomes part of the art, is WeTubeLIVE- Dance Massive, where “young or old it is the same: go to you youtube and select a clip or several and from that/them make a solo. This performed response can be a copy, a comment or an investigation of themes:so long as it fits in a 1 meter square space, pretty much anything goes.” (Speth B, 2013) This 'massive' is taking a well known space (in this case, the National Gallery of Victoria) and turning it into a place for members of the public to express themselves. New engagement with art and audience, allows artists to establish spaces where creativity can be expressed; creativity that is outside of the 'traditional' works found in already existing institutions. We can look at Linda Nochlin's article "Why have there been no great women artists?"(Nichlin L, 1971) and realise that even to this day, some national art galleries in the western world have remained to display what they consider 'the best of the best,' that "it is in our social arrangements: the white Western male viewpoint, unconsciously [is] accepted as the viewpoint of the art historian." (Nichlin L, 1971, pp. 1) And this what contemporary artists are striving to move away from...
WeTubeLive
References:
Bourriaud, Nicolas (2002), Relational Aesthetics, Presses du reel, Paris
LALA (2014), WeTubeLIVE- Dance Massive (online), retrieved from http://lalaishere.net/2013/04/we-tube-live/
Nochlin, L (1971), Why have there been no great women artists?, retrieved online from http://davidrifkind.org/fiu/library_files/Linda%20Nochlin%20%20Why%20have%20there%20been%20no%20Great%20Women%20Artists.pdf
Stokes, Rebecca (3 February 2012), Rirkrit Tiravanija: Cooking Up an Art Experience (online), retrieved from https://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2012/02/03/rirkrit-tiravanija-cooking-up-an-art-experience
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