Some Art Trends of 2007

Pre-2007 photo of Hermann Nitsch performance courtesy of http://www.slought.org/img/archive1/1264+press1.jpg

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1. International biennials are still going strong. And why not? It makes strong business sense as it is good for civic enterprises and local tourism. It also presents a muy simpatico face to the world, in the case of countries whose politics are a bit messy.

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2. The art market dominates the media. Most western journalism covers the auctions and the high rollers. Have you read a mainstream piece that purely discusses the work of art and its philosophical ideas and metaphors the artist wishes to convey to the public? I highly doubt it. Editors and readers prefer sensationalism over profound thought. This is one reason why I read the sports pages rather than the arts, as the sports pages seem to comment on society at large (making me ponder about the world I live in) while, in general, arts writing tends to have its head stuck up its arse.

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3. Chinese art from China is still hot in the US and Europe. But has the western world really gained a deeper understanding about Chinese culture or is this just a form of post-colonial acquisition on one side and frenzied selling out on the other?

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4. Political messages in art were the exception rather than the norm. Collectively we all know that war, poverty, genocide are terrible things and maybe we’re inure to hearing/ seeing/ receiving such messages in art. Perhaps politics in art aren’t so sexy, unless Angelina Jolie is involved, and maybe which is why we don’t see such outrage in the art world like there was in the ‘60s. In 2007, there were some feminist retrospectives in the US. I didn’t see them, but wasn’t it saying feminism is safely tucked away in the past and we can look at it historically as it is no longer a menace?

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5. Performance art is stronger than ever. It taps into the audience’s memory of parties and festive occasions. It hints that something significant may happen so that you want to be there in person to witness it. Celebrities may also attend it, but it is art at the same time, so it is a bit cerebral, and enlightening too, isn’t it? Have you noticed that some of the big art moments for 2007 were getting infected with the dust of celebrity-ism?