There is a confusion between some concepts related to images, specifically documentary images, many of which are part of different works of contemporary art. When someone mentions the word manipulation, viewers and readers tend to associate the concept with the media and propaganda. However, the construction of any audiovisual discourse is a manipulation. As Harun Farocki said it: when I take an image and juxtapose it (montage) I am creating a sense of manipulation.
We made our way to an unusual place in midday heat; not at all prejudiced about “Casa Wabi”, an artist residence on the coast of Oaxaca. Bosco Sodi envisioned the importance of bringing together art, with the community and a majestic landscape.
One of the reasons that contemporary art is difficult to define is because it engages in an open dialogue with everyday life situations. As Boris Groys has explained in his texts, contemporary art is alive because it flees from museums. When art join museums, a double process begins. On the one hand, it adheres to the tradition of art. It is part of everything we call “ART”. But on the other hand, a part of its life vanishes.
It is not a new thing: When someone says contemporary art, two groups immediately open up: those who love it and those who hate it. Has it ever happened to you? One is in a museum and suddenly a family composed of a father, a mother and a daughter begins an argument that is going nowhere. The daughter is excited by what she sees in front of her; while parents seem to understand nothing. It is not that contemporary art is for young people, but at least it requires a position where the viewer has the desire to be seduced by a work of art. A feeling that, undoubtedly, comes from the spirit of youth.
The pandemic disrupted a series of social, political and cultural dynamics that have been forced to transform. What changes will happen in art in the coming years? We tried some answers.
Where Should Art Go During This Pandemic Situation?
By Abel Cervantes
There are two contemporary events that have changed the world. 9/11 led to an extreme vigilance that made disappear the line between the public and the private. Suddenly, foreign people (the unknown Other) became a danger to society and it was necessary to know their location to stop their “terrorist plans”. Cell phones began to have sophisticated cameras, that not only served to photograph unforgettable moments, but were also used to capture –in flagrante- their own owners. (Batman. The Dark Knight summarizes these concerns in an enlightening way: Lucios Fox – Morgan Freeman – is the tech genius who helps Batman achieve his objectives: adapt a war vehicle to arrest thugs, use a plane to capture a Chinese thief or chase the Joker throughout Gotham City using the citizens’ cell phones as an underwater radar.) Nowadays, cell phones have endless functions. However, each of them work as a detector that records all human activities: from where we are to what we eat, what we wear and what we desire (Facebook and Google listen to even the most intimate conversations, even if cell phones are several meters away). Our life is exposed as it was not thirty years ago.
