Artistic Constitution and Viewer Experience: An Experience-Centred Framework for Contemporary Art
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18533/0n8d2570Keywords:
artistic constitution, viewer experience, contemporary art theory, experiential relevance, artistic responsibilityAbstract
Contemporary art theory has long been divided over the conditions under which art can be said to come into being, oscillating between formal completion, institutional recognition, and viewer experience. In response to a growing body of contemporary practices that are conceptually intelligible yet fail to sustain meaningful engagement, this article examines how art acquires significance within concrete situations.
Employing qualitative analysis and historical comparison, the study integrates canonical theoretical accounts with contested contemporary cases in order to identify the limitations of existing approaches when artistic experience fails to materialise. It argues that the constitution of art depends not merely on conceptual clarity or institutional validation, but on whether a work establishes an effective experiential orientation within a specific context—one that enables viewers to perceive its relevance.
The article’s contribution lies in proposing an experience-centred comparative framework that foregrounds the role of experiential responsiveness in art’s constitution. This framework offers an operational perspective for analysing contemporary and public art practices, particularly in relation to questions of artistic responsibility and situational impact.
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