Contemporary Art

Contemporary art, are we still in the contemporary era?

It is hard to tell when an art era ends or changes when you are living through it. We won't know till we look back at when exactly art pivots from here. contemporary art is today's art, at least according to the internet, and is the later half of the 20th century and the 21st century. There are a lot of contemporary artists, and ways of creating contemporary art but one of the ones that made me stop was Barbara Kruger.

The first time I was introduced to Barbara Kruger's art was in 2019 on a small college field trip to The Broad museum. The museum was full of a lot of artists from many art era's and there were a lot to stop and look at, but Kruger's piece stopped my whole group. We were presented with art made with a mirror. It was art that provoked the observers, it makes you stop and reflect on what it means to you. My group consisted of three other students, the teacher and a interpretive dancer. We all had different feelings about the piece and it meant different things to us all.

The piece we saw doesn't have a tittle, but states "If you're so successful, why do you feel like a fake?". This piece was created in 1989, and still is relevant to viewers today. It is a simple design, but adding in a mirror where the observer sees themselves turns the piece from a general question to a personal question. It is as if the art is asking you specifically why you feel fake. It is a provocative piece of art and design, and I love that. I love art that can challenge the viewer, and makes them stop and think inwards.

My photo of untitled("If you're so successful, why do you feel like a fake?") by Barbara Kruger at The Broad from 2019.