A Few Methodological Notes on Lithuanian Contemporary Art History (Socio–Institutional Aspect) Cover Image

Keletas Metodologinių Štrichų Pastarojo Dvidešimtmečio Šiuolaikinei Lietuvos Dailės Istorijai (Socialiniu Instituciniu Aspektu)
A Few Methodological Notes on Lithuanian Contemporary Art History (Socio–Institutional Aspect)

Author(s): Kęstutis Šapoka
Subject(s): Cultural history, Political Philosophy, Political history, Sociology of Art
Published by: Visuomeninė organizacija »LOGOS«
Keywords: contemporary Lithuanian art history; avantgarde; institutions; interdisciplinary art; center; periphery;

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses from the socio-institutional aspect the genesis of our “new art” (called “interdisciplinary” or “modern” art) of the last twenty years. Attempts are made to identify the “essential” features of the “new art”; at the same time, the role of “new institutions” as well as the interests of our “modern art” during the last twenty years are highlighted. Attention is drawn to the points of contact between the „officious“ and relatively “informal” initiatives, i.e. initiatives “from the top” and “the bottom“. In summary, it may be said that the capital’s institutional context, paralyzing the initiatives of the contemporary art, and the informal initiatives, consolidating stronger and larger forces of artists and declaring clear positions in respect to the formal institutional context, have been changing in parallel throughout these twenty years. Of course, under such economic conditions of the country, without a purposeful art support policy, even the best initiatives usually last only for five years or less. Consequently, the institutional context and the frequently changing contexts of the informal initiatives function like two relatively opposite poles in our current art life, although sometimes they come into contact or even merge.

  • Issue Year: 2013
  • Issue No: 77
  • Page Range: 64-75
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Lithuanian