Questioning Modern Art and its influence in Postmodern Art.

The early twentieth century spawned the birth of many new ideas like Nihilism, Picasso's Cubism and the Anti-art revolutionary movement called Dada amongst others. Dada was opposed to the culture and values that had resulted in WW1 and WW2.

Marcel DuChamp in 1921, famously exhibited a signed urinal in the Louvre, suspended from the ceiling and along with other Dadaists established the idea that Art could be made from found objects, no matter how banal. The Dada movement and the use and assemblage of these everyday objects outside of their natural environment would later inspire innovative styles like Collage, Photo-montage, Surrealism and lead on to Pop-art, Neo-Dada and Installation art of Postmodern times.

This anti-establishment, anti-bourgeois and even anti-art movement challenged the traditions of art and society with their mission to shock authorities and the public. This anarchist movement  appealed to many of society who were disenfranchised and disillusioned after the world wars and Dada's nihilistic view of life and subversion of traditional values gained momentum.

Dada succeeded in forcing society to question many presupposed ideas about the traditions of Art.
What is Art?

According to Dada, Art grows from our everyday lived experience. KiKi as Man Ray's everyday experience

Are ideas as important as Representational Art?
In terms of Modern art, ideas are just as important. The Armory Show exhibited many new styles like Fauvism, Cubism, Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, Symbolism and Post-Impressionism, Futurism, Orphism, Rayonism, and others. This move away from realism and the Representational Art School of thought towards abstraction and Conceptual Art was a characteristic. This was all highly challenging for many visitors, who were accustomed to seeing true to life pictures.abstract examples


How it is Displayed?
How a piece of art is exhibited  has changed. No longer is an objet d'art hung on a wall aloof and removed from reach but with the advent of Dada, Modern Art is very often touchable and like the 'Fountain' suspended from the ceiling with full access to interaction with the public. Duchamps-Fountain-The-practical-joke-that-launched-an-artistic-revolution.html


Is a gallery necessary?
Many Modern Artists have negated the need for a gallery. One of the first Dada exhibitions in May 1920 was an event held in the glass-roofed courtyard of a public house entered through a men's toilet.  R. Smitson a successful earthworks artist changes landscapes and his work can be seen on location or : earthworks


Ideas about where a place is, it's history and the object of art creates meaning and a symbiotic relationship. This is the concept surrounding Site-Specific Art. Examples of this type of art can be found. Jem Finer and his 'Score for a hole in the ground' is site-specific to the Stour Valley, Kent. scoreforaholeintheground

Other artists have works of site-specific art, like Susan Philips, winner of the Turner prize. A video of her work in London can be viewed on this link:  surround_me_video


A joint venture between our very own Paul Moore and Jem Finer here on the shores of Lough Neagh created 'Landscope' cosmolog.. 'The Lough is full of legends, stories, songs; a bowl, a focus, into which they flow. It's also full of eels. In the months of September, October and November, in the nights either side of the new moon, "the dark", they start their journey to the Sargasso Sea.

At the other extreme of scale it's a speck in the void of the universe, a small fish in a big pond.'