Oxford Very Short Introductions 20: Contemporary Art: Between Control and Freedom

What is contemporary art?

Who controls its direction?

Does contemporary art represent free will,

or market trends?

Open the most popular primer from Oxford University Press,

to reveal the mechanisms of the contemporary art world in the most concise way.

Contemporary art is often regarded as a free domain,

where artists break taboos and challenge the mainstream,

repeatedly bringing various impacts and reflections to the public,

or creating works with no particular purpose at all.

However, with the rapid growth of the art market,

and the increasing political and cultural dominance of the United States,

what changes have occurred in this "free domain"?

What transformations have taken place in artistic characteristics such as creation, enlightenment, and criticism,

as well as their relationship with consumerism and popular culture?

What impact have the rise of other major powers, such as China and Russia, had on the art world?

Has contemporary art become a slave to commerce and government, a tool to mislead the public?

This book goes beyond general aesthetic and philosophical discussions,

and delves into various phenomena and activities of contemporary art from multiple perspectives,

including the commercialization of art museums, art biennials, the rise of installation art, the commodification and financialization of art, corporate collections, and sponsorship, etc.,

to elucidate the concept, historical development, and diversity of contemporary art,

as well as its interaction with globalization, politics, commerce, and social media.

This book particularly focuses on the close relationship between art and capital,

how the use of art by states and corporations

interferes with artistic autonomy,

leading to a disheartening uniformity in what should be diverse and unpredictable contemporary art,

and the various challenges and responses artists face in this environment.