Postmodern Art: A Public Art Medium

Postmodern Art: A Public Art Medium So much has changed in the art world in the past few decades. Because of the rapid growth of technology, democracy and globalization, arts today are more mass-oriented, so that many resources and facilities for both the appreciation and the production of arts are made available and accessible to all. It is predictable that arts will play a more active role in this century. In fact, this notable shift in arts is one of a characteristic of Postmodernism. In general, Postmodernism deems art as “a form of cultural production” which reflects cultural conditions. They question those “good” arts and “good” designs. They try to blur the boundaries between “good” and “bad” aesthetics. Hence, the interaction between the artworks and the audience makes the audience, in a way, part of the art. Thus, communicating with the public becomes a crucial part, and as an example fits well into this new cultural paradigm -- it is “public art”. One of the philosophies of Postmodern Art is emphasizing collaboration and participation. That is, production is not only artists’ business. In the South Bronx in New York, one of the poorest and most dangerous parts of the city, artist John Ahearn and his assistant Robert Torres created life-castings of people in the neighborhood by collaborating directly with the community that will come into contact with the artwork. These people participated and supported the art, becoming the part of production. Meanwhile community gives artists a location, inspiration and purpose. The definition of art suddenly becomes not so absolute and exclusive. Participants now can express their ideas and thoughts, therefore raising the possibilities of new forms of creativity. John Ahearn’s sculpture project is not only one example focusing on general public. Another eminent Pop artist, Claes Oldenburg embodies the concepts of postmodernism in his public artworks, such as “Clothespin” and “Dropped Cone”. By creating