Notes:

CHAPTER 1
DEFINING CONTEMPORARY ARTS
Art
1. from Latin word artem which means "work of art; practical skill; a business, craft."
2. Art is everywhere –from the simplest design objects we use, to the spaces and structures we inhabit.
3. Art enriches our lives with meanings that we often overlook.
4. Art responds to our human desire to experience beauty and explore the unknown.
5. We shape art. Art shapes our being and makes us human.

What is CONTEMPORARY ART?

 CONTEMPORARY ART refers to art being created NOW. “Contemporary” is derived from the Latin prefix con, which means
“together” or “with,” plus tempus, which means “time.”

2 MAIN APPLICATIONS OF THIS TERM IN THE DISCOURSE OF ART. (1990’s)

a) CHRONOLOGICAL – defines contemporary art as art related to this current period in art history, and an art that is new,
recent, modern, or pertains to the present moment.
b) HISTORICAL – regards contemporary art as a specific episode or stage in the story of evolution of art, referring to a specific
location in space and time.

CONTEMPORARY ART in the Philippines

 Contemporary art emerged in the Philippines in reaction to social and cultural realities during the 1970’s, the period of
repression and censorship of artistic expressions by the power of the former President Ferdinand Marcos through the
imposition of Martial law.
 Art also became a means to oppose the regime, and the political art of social realism flourished at this time.
 Social realism is an art movement which sought to expose the real condition of Philippine society and used art to transform it.
The 3 Factors why contemporary art emerged in the Philippines
1. the return of democracy under the Aquino government;
2. the improved economic and political government in the country, particularly in the regions; and
3. the advent of new technologies and free access to media.

CONTEMPORARY ART as a breaking of norms

 Contemporary art can be seen as a transgression/violation of established norm and rules, and the rejection of established
institutions, traditions, and history. It emphasizes the new modern, and progressive.
 Appropriation is an important preoccupation in the world of contemporary art. It is the practice of creating a new work by taking
a pre-existing image or work from another context – art history, media, advertising and combining the borrowed image with
new ones.

Explanation:
Santiago Bose’s Carnivores of Session Road is one of the
contemporary arts where breaking of norms, and rules can be seen
clearly with its used of appropriation. When you will look closely at this
artwork, you can see that it’s a combination of pre-existing images like
the image of Col. Sander (the man in the KFC logo) carrying his KFC
chicken, Mc Donald, and even the background of his artwork are all pre-
existing images combined with the images of Ifugao wearing rubber
shoes. Contemporary art is seen as a violation of established norms
 because its approach used in every artwork is in a different level
compared to the old forms of art.
CONTEMPORARY ART and local heritage
 Contemporary professes an awareness of local heritage. Heritage is something that can be passed from one generation to the
next, can be conserved or inherited, and has historic or cultural value.
 These are physical objects and places of heritage (old buildings, paintings, public art, etc.) and the various practices of
heritage (oral traditions, dance, fiestas, etc.) unique to the region or locality that are conserved or handed down from one
generation to the next.

Example
a) Teatro Porvenir, Bohol courtesy of Lutgardo Abad and Dulang Sining

Teatro porvenir is a re-imagination of the life of our

Katipunero’s where local heritage such as myth, literature,
history and religion were involved in the play.

b) Mandala Art Festival , Bulacan

Mandala Art Festival is an annual gathering of all artist from

Central Luzon where artworks involving the local culture and
tradition will be presented.

CONTEMPORARY ART as a critique of society

 Everyday life and the concerns of the day are also
articulated in the medium of contemporary art, posing
questions and critiques of contemporary society.
 The growing speed of technology, the transfer of ideas,
capital, information, and culture around the globe provide
the backdrop for the dizzying diversity and rapid
transformations in contemporary art, thereby loosening many boundaries and distinctions within art itself and the crossing over
art forms.

Example
a) Kawayan de Guia, Ukay-ukay Dome, Baguio (This artwork is a dome made up of used clothing
clothing/ukay-ukay)

b) Fuminori Nousaku and Rosario Encarnation-Tan, Bamboo Theater (A theater built in UP Vargas with the
used of bamboo.)

Functions of CONTEMPORARY ART

 CONTEMPORARY ART for Pleasure – art can provide escape from everyday concerns and satisfy the yearning for
pleasurable experiences.
 CONTEMPORARY ART as Profession – artists earn a living through their art.
 CONTEMPORARY ART as Commentary – art has often been used to answer our need for information.
 CONTEMPORARY ART in Spirituality – artists may create art to express spiritual beliefs about the destiny of life controlled by
the force of a higher power.
  CONTEMPORARY ART as Remembrance – art can commemorate important events and people that have shaped our history
and show reverence for those who have gone before us.
 CONTEMPORARY ART for Persuasion – art is used to spur political change or modify the behavior and thinking of large
groups of people have political and persuasive functions.
 CONTEMPORARY ART as Self- Expression – art can fulfills an expressive function when an artists conveys information about
his or her personality, feelings, or worldview.

In 2012, the exhibition “Art Now For Everyone,” held at the SM Mall of Asia. Curator Patrick Flores concisely describe the general
characteristics and tendencies of contemporary arts as he explained what it means to be present and what is art now.
1. Art Now is part of global culture.
2. Art Now reflects upon historical conditions that have shaped our present situation.
3. Art Now is animated by the busy traffic of images in society.
4. Art Now explores a wide range of media, techniques, styles, and technologies.
5. Art Now expresses hope about the future.
6. Art Now facilitates interaction among its audience.
7. Art Now renews our ties to a changing world.
8. Art Now encourages us to be different, to be skeptical of sameness.
9. Art Now initiates us to a horizon of chances.

Different Forms or Disciplines of Arts

1) VISUAL ARTS
– wide array of artistic disciplines that are appreciated primarily through SIGHT. It includes different art forms & disciplines such as
Fine arts, Decorative arts and Contemporary arts.
 Fine Arts FINE ARTS - art forms created primarily for its APPEARANCE rather than its PRACITICAL USE. ( drawings,
paintings, sculpture, prints, graphic art, architecture)
 Decorative Arts DECORATIVE ARTS - are artworks that are both aesthetically PLEASING and FUNCTIONAL (jewel,
glassware, textile arts, weaving, pottery, furniture, metal work)
 Contemporary Arts – modern art forms used by the present artists that does NOT fall in the traditional categories of visual arts
namely FINE ARTS & DECORATIVE ARTS while CONTEMPORARY ARTWORKS - artworks that are made in present
whether it comes in TRADITIONAL FORMS. (Assemblage, collage, installation, performance art, digital art)
2) PERFORMING ARTS Use of VOICE and BODY movement to communicate artistic expression. Come in many kinds but all
are meant to be enacted in front of a LIVE AUDIENCE.
 Music a universal form of art, a manipulation of sound and silence.
 Dance regulated and deliberate order of body movement.
 Theater integration and combination of the visual and performing arts.
 Film FILM - A motion picture made primarily for aesthetic reasons rather than commercial profit. It is characterized primarily by
content and technique that reflect an artistic sensibility, by psychological or social realism.

WHY DO WE NEED TO STUDY ARTS?

 Creating art can express yourself, enabling you to share your ideas and emotions to others.
 Studying art teaches you to distinguish and understand individual differences. It make us more sensitive.
 Studying and creating art help develop our decision and problem solving skills.

IS ART IMPORTANT?
1. It help us realize that there are many ways of dealing and solving obstacle.
2. It help us appreciate that there are more than one correct solution to a problem.
3. It nurtures imagination and promotes original and innovative concept which is a skill valued in utmost all businesses today

CHAPTER 2
CONTEXTS OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS

Context refers to factors that surrounds the work of art, it includes the following;
 Historical events
 Economic trends
 Contemporary cultural developments
 Religious attitudes
 Social norms

Classification of Context
a) Primary context– pertains to the artist (beliefs, attitude, interests, values, education, training, biography including Psychology)
b) Secondary context – addresses the external conditions in which the work was produced (apparent function of the work,
religious and philosophical convictions, socio-political and economic structures, and even climate and geography)

Art Criteria
 Aesthetic experience - refers to our responses towards phenomena like enchantment, fear, awe, terror, or guilt
 Consensus of the art world – refers to the agreement set by the art world if they perceived something as an art
 Cultural practice and shared meaning – a thing can also be considered as an art as long as it has meaning shared by
everyone and its part of traditional practices

IMPLICATIONS OF CONTEXT
 contexts are arbitrarily created
 these contexts establish conventions, rules, norms, hierarchies, classifications, assumptions, presumptions, and notions
regarding art;
 these contexts establish the value and the criteria of valuation in which labor and capital are invested in works designated as
art
 that all of these are not a natural given nor should remain unchanged. It should be questioned in light of critical thinking

STUDY OF ARTS IN THE REGIONAL CONTEXT

The Promdi Project is a survey of contemporary art practices in “Panahi: New Works on Visayan Contemporary Textile Art”—
Dumaguete and surrounding areas. Promdi, short for “from the exhibition held in 2016 at the Negros Museum in Bacolod City,
province,” is often used as a derogatory term for people living spotlighted traditional textiles, particularly the Visayan ones, as
outside Metro Manila. used in contemporary artworks.

FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENTS OF ART

1. Form – is made up of formal elements, overall composition, materials and techniques
To appreciate the form of art, creativity and imagination must be taken into account.
• Creativity - the generation of new ideas, insights, and previously unimagined images and artifacts
• Imagination- is a faculty that allows us to generate mental pictures, ideas, and sensations that do not exist in the world
2. Language -is a medium by which cultural meanings are formed and communicated
Language is the content or the mass of ideas communicated through;
 the image it creates
 the icons and their symbolic meanings
 the environment where it is used, displayed, or performed
 the traditions, beliefs, and values of the culture that produced it and utilizes it
 writings and intellectual ideas that help explain the work

FOUNDATIONAL ART DISCIPLINES

1. Art production -the presentation of ideas and feelings by creating expressive images through the application of tools and mastery of
techniques to a material
2. Art Criticism - describing, analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating works of art for the purpose of understanding and appreciating art
Four Steps in Art Criticism
2.1) Description – the process by which you use your sense of sight to describe what you see
2.2) Analysis – the process by which one checks the organization of the art’s composition
2.3) Interpretation – the process by which one manage to decipher the message of an artwork
2.4) Judgment – the step where one concludes if the art has been successful or not

3. Art history -the study of art, past and present, and its contributions to cultures and society. It provides answers to the questions who,
what, when, where, and why.
FORMS OF HISTORICAL INQUIRY
 Attribution – it answers the who, what, when, where, why questions about the creation of an artwork
 Authenticity – checks the truancy and validity of an artwork’s attribution
 Iconography – the meaning of symbols, objects, and motifs of the work
 Provenance – traces back the previous owners and buyers of the art before it came to the current owner
 Function – the original reason why the art was created
 Style – the unique and remarkable characteristics of the artwork
 Psychology – this is about the behavior of the artist that affects his/her production of the art
 Connoisseurship – this help resolve the problem of ownership; artist or the art creator will be identified

4. Aesthetics- the nature, beauty, and value of a work of art.

Three Aesthetic Theories of Art Criticism
 Imitationalism and Literal Qualities – theory that explains art as something that should be life-like, realistic
 Formalism and Formal Qualities – theory that gives emphasis on the composition or formalities of artwork
 Emotionalism and Expressive Qualities – theory that place a great emphasis on art as something that arouse emotions

ART WORLD ACTIVITIES

1. Core Activities
 Production of art – refers to the creation of artwork in the studios, clubs and societies, workshops
 Exhibition of art galleries – refers to the level of exhibition to be made
(i) public – national, regional, metropolitan
(ii) commercial
(iii) temporary – public or private
(iv) heritage houses, heritage sites, and culture parks

2. Collateral Activities
 Facilitation of production and exhibition – refers to various individual an artist may collaborate to help him/her in the process of
having an exhibition
 Dissemination of art and art discourse – refers to the way an artist may opt to choose in the process of making his/her
artworks known
SUPPORTING GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND INSTITUTIONS
 National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)
 overall policy making, coordinating, and grants-giving agency for the preservation, development and promotion of
Philippine arts and culture
 dubbed as “Department of Culture”
  Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP or Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas)
 the national center for the performing arts

 National Museum (NM)

 tasked with the preservation, conservation, and protection of movable and immovable cultural properties for the
enjoyment of present and future generations.
 Establish during American occupation; 1901
 The first government museum in the Philippines was established under the American colonial policy of public
education.

 National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP)

 responsible for the conservation and preservation of the country’s historical legacies

EXHIBITION, DISPLAY, AND DESSIMINATION OF ART

 The mouseion of the Greeks laid the fundamental concept for a “museum” as a place for education and enjoyment since its
first creation in their society long ago.
 Contemporary forms of art have started to explore the possibilities of engaging audiences outside the context of a museum or
gallery.
 White Cube term that originated from the manner in which contemporary museums exhibit their collections on plain, usually
white walls in order to focus on a work on display.
 Curator deals with setting out the physical space for the exhibition and display of art works

CONTEMPORARY ARTS MUSEUMS

IIoilo Museum of Contemporary Art (ILOMOCA)
the first museum in the Visayas region dedicated to modern and contemporary art. It aims to enrich the community life of Iloilo province
by way of exhibitions and outreach programs

BENCAB MUSEUM (Baguio City)

The museum is composed of several galleries that house the permanent collection of Philippine National Artist Benedicto Cabrera
(BenCab), his paintings, his collections of indigenous Cordillera art and the works of Filipino masters and contemporary artists.

Art Portal Gallery for Contemporary Art ( Davao City)

Art Portal is a platform for artist exchanges and other creative explorations in the Davao art scene. The space was established by
Alfred Galvez.
SUPPORT FOR THE ARTS
Section 15 of Article XIV of the 1987 Philippine Constitution establishes the role of the Philippine government in supporting the arts and
creative practices of the nation: “Arts and letters shall enjoy the patronage of the State.”

Private and Corporate Patronage

 Patron, in Latin, means father
 Patron of the arts is one who “begets” and protects the arts.
 Art is sometimes funded by private donations and corporate sponsorship.

State Grants and Tax-Supported Art

 Grant - sum of money awarded to an artist by a government agency or private corporation to enable him/her to produce art
 National Endowment Fund for Culture and the Arts (NEFCA) established by Sec. 20 of Republic Act. No. 7356 to support
Philippine art and culture programs and projects, allocates a portion of public funds for art work, subventions to art institutions.
 Endowment fund is an investment fund set up by the institution in which regular withdrawals from the invested capital are used
for ongoing operations and grant programs.
 National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) grant-giving government agency which administers the NEFCA
The Art Market
1. those who can finance a hobby of competing to collect market-popular artworks
2. those who consider artworks as investments that can be sold for higher prices in the future
3. those who want to hang on their walls sought-after paintings as visual evidence of financial success
4. those who are motivated by a combination of two or more of the earlier mentioned intentions.