Art today is not just a question of representation but also a question of mediation. From the second half of the 20th century on a myriad of art practices came to understand themselves as more closely aligned with cultural analysis than with the creation of pictures. Then the analysis of the spaces of production, circulation and the presentation of pictures became an important topic in postminimal art and conceptual art.
The institutional analysis of museums and art galleries is commonplace within this tendency. Sometimes this has been understood as a direct or explicit complaint voiced by artists through their work, in the face of the instrumentalisation of art and culture and the bad manners and experiences surrounding the commodification and dealing of art. At the same time, however, this drive of the so-called institutional critique has also generated alternative approaches to the art system and museum culture, and introduced new ways of thinking about the gallery itself, together with tasks like curating and arts education.
Indeed, we could think that this "art-like institution" has served as the trigger of a museum culture from which we expect a certain capacity for self-criticism and reflexivity, as well as a mindset or sensibility that could be transformed through the very art projects that it maintains.
© Raimon Ramis
© Raimon Ramis
“Discovering Art” is an educational portal where you can discover interesting facts about art and museums of art.
The online portal Discovering Art is the collaborative effort of four institutions:
Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb, Fundació Antoni Tàpies from Barcelona, Museum of Contemporary Art Vojvodina and Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Koroška from Slovenj Gradec.
The portal is part of the European project Performing the Museum.
