Artists Challenge the Traditional Notions of Artmaking

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His artwork “Han Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola Logo” combines an urn from ancient China with the iconic Coca Cola drink logo. The readymade urn takes an object with traditional and cultural value and incorporates a contemporary symbol recognised around the world. Wei Wei’s appropriation of such a valued object gained much criticism and controversy. The art installation “Through” takes Qing dynasty tables and beams from dismantled temples to demonstrate the beauty of craftsmanship. The arrangement of the beams at gravity defying angles encourages viewers to consider China’s collision of tradition with globalisation in the modern day.

Pop artist Jeff Koons takes everyday objects, with reference to breathing apparatuses, to create Kitsch artworks. Koons is considered one of the most innovative and provocative figures in contemporary art during the 1980’s and 90’s, with significant influence in the modern day. His art comments on ‘fake luxury’ and mass production in the American consumer culture, and the throwaway nature of the products. “I want to make art that is readily approachable, understandable and enjoyable” he explains. Koons exploits society’s desire for ‘virginal’ objects and appeals to audiences through the kitsch aspect of his creations.

The readymade artwork “New Hoover Convertibles” takes several vacuums in pristine condition and displays them in clear, plexiglass cases. Koons recontextualised these objects from primarily functional pieces to artworks in their own right and challenged the traditional values of art. “One ball total equilibrium” was a piece in “The Equilibrium Series” that featured a basketball suspended in a tank filled with distilled water and salt. This work presents what Koons describes “the penultimate state of being” which is neither life nor death, but balanced in the middle. It was considered one of the defining works of the 1980’s, as well as “repulsive” in practice.

The Dada, Pop and Contemporary art movements have transformed established art values and changed what it means for artists to ‘make’ art. The use of found objects and their incorporation into artist’s artmaking promotes audiences to question art and what it means for something to be good art. Duchamp, Warhol, Koons and Wei Wei have all contributed to the breakdown of these values and the acceptance of the different art mediums and practices that modern artists employ today.