Without a Future

Cutting Edge of the Contemporary: KNUST, Accra, and the Ghanaian Contemporary Art Movement

As a species of hunter and gatherer, we as humans are driven to collect things that we can use to sustain our lives, but once the intrinsic need of this process is met, animals of all sorts will collect objects for other purposes. To the contemporary artist, this innate sense of object envy or the desire to collect has become a driving force behind much contemporary art practice and is firmly posited in art theory. Patterns are emerging within collecting processes that have become templates for unique styles of representation, be they conceptual or practical. This research probes beneath the surface of artistic practice in relation to collected object inclusive artistic practice in the search for a model to explain the phenomena which has become more prevalent over the past century. The historical discourse of object collecting, classification and display from the Medieval Reliquary, cabinets of curiosities, early museums and the modern and contemporary museological frameworks of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries forms the basis of this research. It is hypothesized that this historic continuum of collection processes has generated culturally and socially influenced object interaction behaviours that underpin the manner in which humans collect, classify and display objects. These historically informed behaviours have, over the span of history, resulted in a set of codified practices of collecting, classification and display. These practices, which have been repeated over the course of object collecting history, appear to have been adapted and incorporated into contemporary visual arts practice in those instances where artists engage with collected objects. To investigate the resonances of characteristic practices of historic collection processes that can be observed in contemporary collected object inclusive artistic practice, a series of researcher generated theoretic paradigms titled the Butterfly Pin Constructs, has been developed. The Butterfly Pin Constructs consist of five individual constructs that represent key elements of collecting, classification and display which have persisted and evolved since the Medieval period. These theoretic representations provide a platform upon which to discuss collected object inclusive artistic practice and the impact of the legacy of collection processes upon this contemporary phenomenon. This research utilises interview data from four Australian sample artists and the visual analysis of a number of their works of art to interrogate the framework of the Butterfly Pin Constructs and the role they may fulfil within the creative process. The Butterfly Pin Constructs, as embodiments of key characteristics of historic collection processes, are the central framework upon which an understanding of the phenomena of collected object inclusive practice can be positioned. As such, the interview responses and works of art of the late Tom Risley, Donna Marcus, Patrick Hall and Glen Skien, each of whom engage in collected object inclusive artistic practice, offer a sample set of this artistic phenomenon upon which to assess the validity of this theoretic model as offering an alternate paradigm to examine collected object inclusive artistic practice.

The motif of the Rückenfigur—a figure shown from behind, facing into the pictorial space—has become almost synonymous with Caspar David Friedrich and German Romantic landscape painting. Yet as a compositional device and as a visual problem, the Rückenfigur has a deeper, more complex genealogy within Western art. From early experiments in Giotto’s frescoes to the domestic interiors of Vermeer and the erotic nudes of Velázquez and Ingres, painters repeatedly turned figures away from the viewer to organise space, withhold narrative information, and complicate the act of looking. In the nineteenth century, Friedrich’s landscapes codified the Rückenfigur as a privileged site for negotiating the sublime, the relation between subject and nature, and the temporality of viewing. Subsequent artists—Gustave Caillebotte, Vilhelm Hammershøi, Andrew Wyeth, Edward Hopper and others—reworked this motif in urban, domestic, and psychologically charged contexts, shifting its meaning from Romantic immersion in nature toward alienation, introspection, and modern subjectivity. This article traces the Rückenfigur as a Western art-historical phenomenon, moving from early antecedents to Romantic codification and modern transformations. Alongside close readings of selected paintings, it draws on theories of spectatorship and embodiment to argue that the Rückenfigur functions as a privileged device for staging the spectator’s position and for exploring the tension between identification and distance. Finally, the essay briefly considers the survival of this motif in photography, film, and contemporary art, suggesting that the figure seen from behind remains a powerful means of thinking about seeing, subjectivity, and the limits of representation.

ABSTRACTThe following editorial sets out the context for this special edition of the Journal of Visual Art Practice by situating contemporary Chinese art and its critical engagement with society and politics — both within and outside the People's Republic of China and Taiwan — in relation to a wider history of modernist, postmodernist and contemporary visual art theory and practice. It also outlines the particular social, economic, cultural and political conditions in relation to which contemporary art is produced and received within the PRC and Taiwan as well as differences between localized Chinese and international perspectives on the critical significance of contemporary Chinese art.

The use of everyday objects as art materials has evolved into a contemporary phenomenon in Africa, deeply rooted in specific contexts and possessing global relevance. Despite limited scholarly attention, existing discussions tend to revolve around individual artists or particular mediums. Many discourses are associated with either the prevailing universalist perspective that views the trend as Western avant-garde derivation or the reductionist narrative that attributes it merely to local material scarcity. There exists a critical need to investigate historical genealogies and explore the theoretical frameworks essential for comprehending this phenomenon. Through a combination of visual analysis, fieldwork and interviews, this thesis conducts an in-depth examination of the use of found materials in Zimbabwe, exploring its historiography, mechanism, impact, and visual achievements. This thesis situates the investigation in postcolonial Harare, the city that profoundly shaped the evolution of the phenomenon of using found materials. Regarding timeframe, this thesis examines contemporary Zimbabwean artists’ practices, with a special emphasis on the period following the Redefinitions movement in the early 2000s. However, it also explores the pioneering material innovations of Tapfuma Gutsa and Keston Beaton, as well as analyses the importance of the Pachipamwe workshop between the 1980s and 1990s. Among the artists, it highlights those who consistently engage with found materials and delve into their interactions with urban spaces in their practices. With the city as the analytical framework, this thesis draws on debates centring on contemporary African art and theories about materiality and urban studies. Approaching found materials as the materiality of both art and the city, it reveals a convergence of various interrelated artistic practices in Harare. The multidimensional relationships are manifested in the artistic processes, where the collection of materials, the creation of artworks, and collaboration with diverse urban groups, are intricately linked to urban spaces in Harare. By unfolding this process and emphasising the labour of artists, this thesis transcends conventional perceptions of artworks as mere visual objects, revealing the societal and spatial interactions inherent in artistic practices involving found materials. This thesis also explores the visual and semantical interactions between art and the city, centring on a curated array of artworks which is not merely a visual representation or reflection of the city but also provides critical thoughts on and dialogues with the city, as well as (re)imaginations and aspirations of the urban landscape. The relationship between art and the city is further deepened through iii artistic practices, extending beyond the creation of artworks and involving art infrastructure building in Harare. This thesis conceptualises artists’ practices of working with found material as restless imagination, a term drawn from the name of the city, which refers to “no one sleeps” in the Shona language. The restlessness embedded in its naming has characterised the city in various dimensions and across time, with the haunting colonial legacy, ongoing urban crises, ubiquitous movements and the ordinary people’s unwavering efforts for liberation and survival. Artists residing in postcolonial Harare also adopt and cultivate restlessness as a working strategy not only to cope with but also to transgress such conditions. The evolution of found materials has been unfolded through a continuous process of restless imagination and innovative manoeuvres, which are embodied in the continual re-imagination of the convention of art materials, the expressive capacities of specific materials, and a commitment to labour throughout the transformative process. This open-ended though productive process of exploration perpetuates and extends to the re-imagination and reclaiming of urban spaces, transforming them into artistic spaces that foster artistic creation and the reproduction of artists and imaginations. This thesis argues the potential framing and comprehension of Harare city as the site of restless imagination pursued, embodied and materialised by artists through their artwork and engagement with urban spaces. Contemporary Zimbabwean artists have redefined their artistic practices, interacting with the materiality of everyday urban life, urban matters, urban spaces, and urban communities, and, concurrently, the relationship between art and city, art and society. By doing so, they open up space for possibilities to refashion the restless city, negotiate urban citizenship, and recreate themselves as agentive subjects in postcolonial Harare. It could be argued that artists, as urban citizens, akin to other residents grappling with everyday life in the city, also exercise their arts of citizenship through their creative innovations in artistic expression and practices. Therefore, this thesis not only delves into the contextualisation of artistic practices in Harare but also contributes to broader discussions on everyday practices in African cities through the lens of art.

This article has a focus on the semiotic value of contemporary Indian art practice. It takes a fundamental position that in India, the conceptual response to contemporary art (painting and visual art) needs to be understood for its potential to create ongoing interpretations, and not just for what it aims its potential meaningful destination to be. The article further emphasizes the need to understand these new expressions in terms of Peirce’s notion of the ‘Interpretant’, against the established fact that they are fundamentally distinct from the traditional art practices in their intent and purpose. The impetus for this position comes from the significant shifts, continuities and discontinuities that art in India has seen since ‘modernism’. Traditional Indian theories had highly developed treatises elaborating upon the formal processes that led to an experiential ‘object’ of transformation and ananda (joy). The attempt is to call for analytical frameworks that semiotic theory can provide to the works of Indian artists who have, ‘ontologically progressed beyond the initial appeal of Modernism and the attendant desire to use acknowledged Western idioms. More than anything else, they respond to politics, and work to impact social justice. This is where tradition appears-via narrative’ ( Seid, 2007 , p. 13).

This research investigates the economic considerations associated with the utilisation of recycled materials, particularly plastic waste, within contemporary art practices in Malaysia. As artists increasingly adopt sustainable approaches by incorporating recycled materials into their creative processes, understanding economic factors—such as cost, availability, and creative potential—becomes paramount. Employing an explanatory and quantitative methodology, the study utilised an online survey featuring a 5-point Likert scale to collect data from 84 participants, comprising art practitioners, professional artists, and emerging artists. A random stratified sampling method ensured a representative sample encompassing varying levels of experience within the artistic community. The data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) with bootstrapping, alongside Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA), to evaluate the significance, importance, and performance of various factors influencing the adoption of recycled materials in art. The findings reveal that while cost and material availability substantially impact artistic decision-making, the creative potential inherent in the use of recycled materials emerges as a key driver of innovation and sustainability within the art sector. Community engagement and exploratory practices were identified as pivotal elements in fostering the successful integration of recycled materials into artistic projects, although economic challenges persist as a notable barrier for many artists. This study provides a nuanced understanding of the ways in which economic considerations shape sustainable art practices, offering valuable insights into how the art industry can more effectively support and promote environmentally conscious creative endeavours. By highlighting the intersection of economic factors and sustainability, the research contributes to the broader discourse on advancing eco-friendly practices within contemporary art.

Dana Claxton’s 2016 exhibition, Made to Be Ready, like her practice in general, is in many ways paradoxical, at least according to a reading premised on traditional approaches to prescriptive categories in visual arts, such as Indigenous and contemporary art. The group of works resists being analyzed according to a specific framework, and it is intentionally couched in a form of ambiguity that is best described as epistemological instability as it builds from what initially reads as the incompatible interpretive codes of “Indigenous art” and “new media.” This sense of generative indeterminacy is the result of her deliberate bringing together of Indigenous themes and histories with digital art forms. According to the binary paradigms of settler colonialism and Western art historical conventions within media arts, such a pairing is uneasy and ambitious, even if building from a field that has been emerging in Indigenous art since the 1980s and that has an extant and expansive, if understudied, discourse. This article’s intersectional approach to the interpretation of Claxton’s work, premised on broad and specific art histories, foregrounds and critically questions the inequities in the critical strategies common to the production and reception of Indigenous art. It also engages with the circulation of the politics of decolonization and survivance in Claxton’s practice as well as the ways that her work extends beyond the restrictive boundaries of art about identity. This interpretive method allows viewers of Claxton’s work to gain access to these notably central issues without risking losing sight of the important connections Claxton makes between her contemporary practice, Indigenous realities, and media art histories.

The construction and expression of collective memory is the eternal theme of Anselm Kiefer's contemporary art practice. Kiefer's multiple identities as a World War II veteran, a Catholic, and a Germanic ethnicity have made him instinctively inclined to portray collective memories such as national culture, religion, and war, and the symbolic expression and spatial turn of contemporary art have also had a significant impact on the formal construction and expression of meaning in Kiefer's artistic practice. This paper interprets the multiple directions of collective memory construction in Kiefer's works, including historical reflection, cultural tracing and human insight, and at the same time analyses the overall influence of symbolic embedding, spatial activation and translation mechanism on Anselm Kiefer's collective memory expression, and proposes a basic path for understanding the expression of the forms and connotations of collective memories in Kiefer's works from a methodological point of view: the spatial translation of symbols.

Introduction to<i>Visual Arts Research</i>Special Issue, Body Cam: The Visual Regimes of Policing

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores the perspectives on critical artistic practices that encourage the 'worlding' of the concept of the 'artscape'. It also explores a flexible concept like the artscape to accommodate the impossibility of a coherent set of reference points, histories or modes of evaluating what exactly constitutes art, or critical art, or in whose terms these various works can be interpreted. The book comprises artistic practices connected to transformative processes that deal specifically with funding and policy. It aims to compare the role of aesthetics in the Sunflower Movement in Taipei and the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong. The book presents an artists' coalition in Berlin that effectively lobbied for public funding to go towards independent art spaces. It deals more directly with questions of representation and participation, particularly in engaging with a broader idea of the art public.

The advent of digital photography has ushered in a dynamic era marked by evolving paradigms and practices in visual representation. This research delves into the profound interplay between traditional and digital photographic modalities, investigating their impact on contemporary art and society. Through an art-based research approach, this study examines an innovative artistic experiment conducted by Palestinian artist Ahmed Al-Saffarini. While Al-Saffarini's work serves as a starting point for philosophical reflection, it is the broader conceptual exploration of digital and traditional photography that forms the core of this research. By burying vintage photographic negatives underground for an extended period, Al-Saffarini sought to explore the transformative potential of integrating traditional and digital photography techniques. Drawing on a rich body of literature encompassing philosophical discourse, artistic practice, and technological advancements, this research elucidates key themes shaping the trajectory of photography in the digital age. Phenomenological perspectives illuminate the experiential dimensions of perception and consciousness inherent in the photographic medium, while scholarly debates on analogue versus digital photography underscore the epistemic complexities and artistic possibilities engendered by technological innovation. Furthermore, this study highlights photography's role as a conduit for memory, identity formation, and cultural expression in contemporary society. Through an analysis of Al-Saffarini's artistic experiment and its implications, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of photography's transformative potential and its evolving significance within the artistic landscape. Emphasising the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and creative experimentation, this study advocates for the integration of art-based research methodologies in scholarly inquiry, thereby enriching our comprehension of photography's multifaceted nature and its enduring relevance in the digital era.

La idea de que el museo pueda actuar como un agente social ante el territorio y sus habitantes atraviesa, cada vez más, las políticas y estrategias de la institución. Términos como mediador o artista/educador, y el concepto que sostienen, activan modos de hacer y paradigmas pedagógicos en aras de la acción social. Desde esta perspectiva se presenta la experiencia llevada a cabo con un colectivo de personas con Alzheimer en el Centro de Arte de Alcobendas (Madrid), financiada por DKV Seguros. Los objetivos de esta propuesta pretenden comprobar la validez, y establecer las posibles aportaciones de una metodología basada en las prácticas artistas contemporáneas como formato pedagógico en la labor de mediación y acercamiento a colectivos desde la sala de arte. Se plantea igualmente entender dicha experiencia como producción de conocimiento, en sentido bidireccional, del museo al contexto de salud y a la sociedad, del contexto de salud y la comunidad, al museo. Del análisis de los resultados, realizado desde una metodología cualitativa, implícita en las propias prácticas artísticas, se evidencian resultados muy concretos para el colectivo. Por otra parte, se proyecta una mirada más global y se establecen unos criterios y preguntas de investigación, qué permiten reflexionar sobre la utilidad social de estas actuaciones, su eficiencia y sostenibilidad en la producción de conocimiento y en el objetivo de transformación.

The research investigates, through a theoretical and practical approach, the relationship between the aesthetic dimension of the human sensible experience and the phenomenon of production of subjectivities -in a dialog with the field of thought on aesthetics -, analysing a possibility, offered by the experimentation in contemporary artistic practices, of flexibilization, or even rupture, with the visibility and materiality regimes that configurate man's shared reality. A set of artistic practices I conducted throughtout the research is taken as reference, including works from artists such as Marina Abramovic and Ulay, Chris Burden, Orlan, Stelarc and Tehching Hsieh, whose poetics consist essentially on the intertwining of daily processes and artistic practices; a displacement poetics. It is understood that through this aesthetic production it is possible to contemplate strategies of the (subject's) body analogous, in specific terms, to an idea of processes of subjectivation that allow the subject to have an experience of displacement of self onto itself, a problematization of the very process of constitution of a subjectivity. This way, an understanding of the means through which aesthetics may configurate the subject's mode of existence is intended, delimitating the way they operate in the world through its manifestations, as is the questioning of the possibility of reconfiguration of such operations through the aesthetic formative intention of contemporary visual and plastic arts.

Institutionalized government support for artwork incorporated into transportation environments has a history spanning more than 80 years in the United States. Although the Federal Transit Administration has a history of policy guidelines, and the American Public Transportation Association, and Americans for the Arts have developed best practices for the successful integration of artworks during the planning and construction phases of transportation projects, little research exists concerning the public life of those artworks during the operational phase, beyond maintenance concerns. This paper examines an artist-led tour program initiated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), as a case study, to demonstrate one way contemporary artistic practices are strategically implemented to further community engagement, by extending the reach of existing, integrated artworks during a capital project’s operational phase. The study begins with a context for public art in transportation environments, including a brief overview of the tradition of government support for public art in the United States. Artworks integrated within the Metro system are examined with a focus on features that engage customers as landmarks, inspire responses from participants rooted in the memory of historical events or popular culture, and respond to pre-programmed cues. Lastly, this research discusses the transformational value offered by contemporary artistic practices rooted in relational aesthetics, approaches that prioritize transitory experience over material product, by providing continued engagement with communities beyond the planning and construction phases, as examined through an artist-led tour program developed by Metro.