What is contemporary art?

Method: Action Reflection Learning cycle 
Do > Review > Learn > Apply >  Do > Review > Learn > Apply > Do .......
Kolb's(1984) experiential learning cycle

DO  Activist
What is contemporary art? Recently I visited some galleries, I found most artworks are abstract or modern art, which suddenly makes me confused what are those I am looking at? how to define artworks? I seem to leave fine art too long so that I did not notice what going on in the art world. I am studying Arts management, it's crucial for me to find out the answer. 


REVIEW  Reflector
Some people think they don't know what's the artists doing? why shits, a toilet or a skull can be an art? Even the artists show how a life they led. Is it art?  Because these artists are famous? While facing the issue, some people get feeling and reflection from these concept idea, those stand in front of the artwork, going around the artwork and thinking what the meaning for them from the artwork. On the other hand, compare with design, art is more critical and individual manifestation to deliver messages to the mass. It's probably some elements in common, such as creation, innovation; however, design puts more emphasis on practical, user-friendly and eco-friendly.  


LEARN Theorist
There are some solutions to uncover the enigma that what is contemporary arts via several channels. First of all, researching on the Internet. Second, reading related books. Third, asking teachers.


1. The Internet:
- From 1945-1990s is called modern art, after 1990s shift to the present is called contemporary  art. 

Objects> basis> paintings and sculptures
Context> increasing driving now we do understand notion 

- How to engage timing? Life's going on, life's going off. change and engage what we look at.
  Not only art, contemporary art concerns about economics, politics, illegal issue, and artists  look at those differently. 
- Andy Warho who play a role of artist like movie star, creating how artist look real world into subject. 


2. Books: what is contemporary art? 
                  Terry Smith(2009)
- Alfred H. Barr Jr. for MoMA, who insisted, genuinely modern art was the progressive, original and challenging, rather than the safe and academic. And the progressive, original and challenging emerge from the new senses that these values have.


- Gertrude Stein commented " You can be a museum, or you can be modern, but you can't be both". 
This is likely to meet translation from the curator, 江蒙福 , who at the Metropolitan Museum of Art presented, :  Museum communicate in culture, when looking at artworks, not just what you see, there were people behind, we can see their life from porcelains, weapons, dining utensils, paintings, sculptures and so on. In my personal experience when I visit National Palace Museum in my country I don't perceive strongly they are artwork; instead, the life every day I experience, the Museum put these every day utensils collected together, we can see and recognise how the life we lead and how they changed. It's probably life is art, we have been creating and improving with art which is a part of culture. 


- Contemporary art works that remained modern-modern in style and look.
  


3. Teacher: 
Why Damian Hurst, Tracy Emin and Duchamp demonstrate these kind of works can be famous contemporary arts in the world? Who go to see these arts? what happen? 
- Making people shock, thinking and challenging. 


Can I discern principle/ rules, theories that I could apply to similar but different situation? 


APPLY Pragmatist
How can I test this new understanding?
I can visit galleries like Tate modern, Tate Britain, Saatchi and commercial galleries. When I visit these contemporary art again, what the reflection I get? When I use the new knowledge getting from researching do I see these art differently? Can I understand and appreciate contemporary arts?  After visiting these galleries, I should further study art history comprehensively to help what I intend to explore the subject, curator.