Current Themes in the Art World

Its been a long while since I had a moment to think about what is hip and hot in the contemporary art world. I am interested and curious, what are artists making art about these days, the time when I have developed an aversion to news. To begin I started a simple google search with the words "Trends in Contemporary Art." With no surprise here is what I saw first:

Do I really need to see this face so close? Maybe not and maybe yes, if I look close maybe I might see something that I have been missing. What a strong image! There is a red tape on his nose that reads "LOSER" in capitol letters after he won the election. The image is aggressive, his mouth is open wide, saying something or nothing at the same time. There can be many interpretations of this image but I think about who is really the representation of "LOSER" is it Tump or US? Beyond that Barabara Krugar's work has always taken a stance on women's issues and its only appropriate that she create this image.

Beyond this I discovered the work of Kate Steciw, a Brooklyn, NY based artist who gives a new life and presence to her photographs, photographs we all take and accumulate in the cloud. She turns them into sculptural mobiles that hang from the ceiling on a chain with mountain hiking gear. I am not so sure what the hiking gear is all about and its connection to these images? I guess it doesn't matter, its a new way to experience these photographs or bits of them.

I am inspired by the cutting, twisting, and weaving the photographs to create something new, something that can be seen from all sides where as a photograph in its original state can is only seen from one side. The twisting and weaving of photographs can also connect to the constant connection and contamination of images online. This point here brings me to another trend in contemporary art: art about the non-stop social and cultural exchange on the internet. Of course this is trendy, how can we not make art about all things internet.

Speaking about the internet, there is a lot of buzz in the education world about creative and innovative thinking and making. When I think about current trends in art, I stop and hick up thinking about all the "cool" things people are "making" these days. Yes there is the museum and gallery art, but now there is art in the iphone and warehouse like space called MAKER spaces and STEAM Labs. My artists friends might feel raged by this comparison, but I this is what I see. Some say its art and other don't. In my understanding artists often aim to transform, construct, and embody experiences that lead to a new appreciation for something that maybe familiar. Sometimes its visual and other times its conceptual. And now its also informational and educational. Ultimately it has become easy to say "this is art," but it is not so easy to say "this is not art." Okay, this topic is making be dizzy, so I will move on now. Thank you.