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Alin Sengjaroen
Oct 75 min read

Why Do We Hate Art?

by Alin Sengjaroen


If you’ve been on the internet for a while, you’ve probably seen the art exhibition titled Comedian or rather, the banana stuck to the wall with a flimsy duct tape. Over the years, it has spurred the public’s attention and proposed an interesting question: What truly classifies as art? What is contemporary art all about? Why do we now hate art so much?


Why It Matters

Even though most of us are not contemporary artists ourselves, the hate towards contemporary art affects us all, especially if we create art in other forms. This recent rise of hate is not only exclusive to art like Comedian or Blue Monochrome. It goes towards contemporary literature, music, photography, and theatre. If you were to search “Why do we hate contemporary (art form here)?”, you’d get thousands of articles talking about how the classics were better. 

Not to mention, some fellow artists will hate-post about contemporary art and discredit other artists’ efforts, even though every single art piece created from the late 20th century until now is considered contemporary. If you were an avid disliker of contemporary art but also an artist at the same time, you’re essentially hating what you’re creating. This is why it is important to understand the purpose, origins, and meaning of a subject before criticizing it. 


What’s the Deal Behind the Banana?

In 2019, at Art Basel Miami, Comedian by the Italian artist and absurdist Maurizio Cattelan was exhibited to the public. It gathered huge attention on social media, especially negative comments regarding how the art piece wasn’t ‘real art’. Their reasons were that the piece was too simple and the materials used weren’t exceptionally unique. It only consisted of a banana bought from the local supermarket and a simple piece of duct tape. “I could do it too,” was a claim commonly said. However, despite the public’s outcry, Comedian by definition is still considered an art piece: a conceptual contemporary art. 


This piece intends to critique the absurdity of art and capitalism. It sends a message that art can be anything, even if it is a banana stuck to a wall. Additionally, it refutes the belief that art is inherently an expensive hobby and instills the beauty of minimalism. If you are an artist yourself, you would know how expensive it is to get your hands on one tub of paint. For instance, the piece Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.) by Félix González-Torres consists of candies weighing exactly 175 pounds piling in a corner. We, the audience, are encouraged to take one piece from the pile. Each piece represents González-Torres’ lover Ross Laycock and his experience with AIDs. Ross’s weight was initially 175 pounds, but it started to decline until his passing. Even though it is incredibly famous, the piece only requires individually wrapped candies which can be easily bought.

Both of these artworks are great representations of what contemporary art is. Pieces that fall under this movement tend to imply a similar message: Art is beyond visual aesthetics and expensive materials. Instead what matters are the concepts.


The Myths of Contemporary Art

To begin with, contemporary art is often referred to as modern art; however, describing the movement as modern art is incorrect. Modern art refers to the pieces made from the late 19th century to the late 20th century. The common forms consist of impressionism, expressionism, pop art, cubism, and more. Think of classical artists like Claude Monet or Pablo Picasso. Meanwhile, contemporary art refers to pieces created from the late 20th century until now. 


Furthermore, contemporary art tends to lean towards the piece’s ideology rather than visual pleasure. It transforms experiences into symbolic concepts which are presented through these exhibitions. It has led many people to come together several times. For instance, the religious art movement specifically during the Renaissance era was intended to spread a specific religion’s beliefs to a wider audience. Successfully, the movement impacted the general population to become more open-minded to other religions, which led to a larger religious diversity and acceptance. When it comes to contemporary art, it aims to encourage conversations surrounding our current world’s problems. This movement promotes the awareness of the issues in our everyday lives. The most common themes include identity, technology, migration, and globalization.


But Who’s to Blame? 

Art has always been one of the greatest money-laundering systems. The wealthy often purchase art pieces to be invested for tax deductions. Art is considered an elitist’s profession since it is not easy to make a living as an artist. For pieces to sell, the artist would need more than a distinct, impressive style but instead a wide range of connections. Since contemporary art mostly focuses on minimalism and high-level conceptualism, so much so that the general audience finds it hard to comprehend, the public would be unable to understand and appreciate it. Hence, we are skeptical of contemporary art as a valid movement. 


Without prior knowledge of the origins and purpose of contemporary art, we would assume that the movement was created entirely for the privileged to fend off their taxes. Despite the fact that art pieces are accompanied by a paragraph explaining their meaning, most people nowadays do not read much anymore. Additionally, the minimalism of each piece adds to the suspicion of the mass production of art (creating for the sake of creating) rather than expressing one’s experiences through art. Therefore, we as a society believe that this movement is deluding the philosophy and pure beauty of art.


However, contemporary art itself is not curated merely for those purposes. This belief manifested in the educational system, specifically the art classes we were obligated to attend. Mostly in those art lessons, we are taught the history of art and how art takes a high level of skill to be considered high quality. Rarely do we learn about the conceptualism of art. Since it is not taught to the majority, many people continue to believe that art is purely aestheticism.


So What?

From the myths debunked and redefining what contemporary art is, this article aims to discourage the uprising of art vandalism during the current era. It is crucial to be open-minded when it comes to consuming art. Not every piece may appeal to everyone and some require prior historical or personal context. 


All art is inherently political. Whether it may be literature, fine arts, or photography, all forms hold specific political values and the creator’s voices. The harsh truth is–classic or contemporary–they’re worth the same. They’re all telling a unique story. There’s no difference between these two besides the purpose, historical context, and technology. Of course, it’s perfectly fine to dislike anything contemporary; however, it is not right to discredit the artists of today.


Therefore, even though the piece may seem invalid due to its simplicity, you must understand the work’s intentions before declaring it as so.

 

Citations


AlibsWrites. “Vandalism of Art in the 21st Century - AlibsWrites - Medium.” Medium, 25 Oct. 2022, alibswrites.medium.com/vandalism-of-art-in-the-21st-century-6de30b8d5328.


AllCourse. “The Impact of the Renaissance on Religion.” AllCourse, home.allcourse.com/document/The-Impact-of-the-Renaissance-on-Religion/816cad99-2a25-408b-af5d-d3a71fecc6c2.


Peter Osborne. “Anywhere or Not at All: Philosophy of Contemporary Art / Peter Osborne. – First Edition, Paperback” Google Books, 2013, books.google.co.th/books?hl=th&lr=&id=OHjB1MlCeMsC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=contemporary+art&ots=5BJXNZscUT&sig=U4k1-G-5VkIMZl60RDU7vGIkQPs&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false.


Catherine Rafferty. “Art World Elitism in the Contemporary Age.” Reporter, 25 Jun. 2020, reporter.rit.edu/leisure/art-world-elitism-contemporary-age.


Angelo Accardi. “Contemporary Art Movement: Who Started It? - Eden Gallery.” EDEN Gallery, 16 Feb. 2022, www.eden-gallery.com/news/contemporary-art-movement.



Martín, Ana F. “Why Everybody Hates Contemporary Art — and Artists?” Medium, 30 Mar. 2022, medium.com/counterarts/why-everybody-hates-contemporary-art-and-artists-5500174b65d8.


Wanczura, Dieter. “Modern Art Movements.” Artelino, 15 Apr. 2024, www.artelino.com/articles/modern_art_periods.asp.


Woodley, Baylee. “Untitled (‘Portrait of Ross in L.A’).” Queer Art History, 21 Feb. 2023, www.queerarthistory.com/love-between-men/untitled-portrait-of-ross-in-l-a.


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