Week 5: Relational Aesthetics – 8th November 2013

This week we looked at the topic of Relational Aesthetics. It really opened up my mind about what ‘art’ is. This idea was theorised by Nicolas Bourriaud in the 1990’s. Relational Aesthetics works with the idea that communication and participation is essential in the completion of an artwork. This can be seen in Gabriel Orozco’s ‘Parking Lot’, 1995. In this installation Orozco ‘broke through’ the boundaries of the white cube and therefore tried to combine art appreciation with life.
Another example is the 50th Venice Biennale in 2003. This event was made very informal, allowing artists to engage with the public in an every-day setting. A similar example to this is a piece by Rirkrit Tiravanija made in New York in 1992. This artist created a setting (which looked a lot like a messy kitchen) in which the public would visit and talk to each other whilst perhaps having something to eat! Again, this piece brought together ‘art’ and ‘life’.
The most interesting piece of art discussed during this lecture was by Polish artist Artur Żmijewski, titled ‘Them’, 2007. The artist created a setting in a studio and invited various people who all had very different political views to create art. This situation involving opposing viewpoints created lots of disagreements and hostility. It was quite exciting (and funny at times) to watch. This really made me question what art could be and whether it is necessary for the ‘artist’ to create the work themselves.

Here is a link to ‘Them’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoEkWhuh6a4