Art installations are an artistic genre of art which is mostly site-specific and is meant to transform the space and its perception.
The History of Installation Art…
Installation art is associated with the period from the 1960s to the present and is quite ephemeral in nature. It’s also quite difficult to describe properly since it can be part of an exterior art or public art or can be a part of interior art/space transformation.
Installation art stands out for its distinct characteristics and is very different from the traditional art. It is not a distinct art object, like a painting, art, sculpture and an art form; it can’t be collected but can only be experienced and seen.
It is a new genre of contemporary art and is slowly emerging from the woods to take its pride of place. Artists use a variety of colours, concepts to come up with interesting artwork. Artists utilize the space and fill it with their ideas to come up with unique art. They paint on gallery walls directly, use props to design and transform spaces, etc.
Though installation art might seem discreet and distinct, yet it finds resonance in the avant garde art of the late nineteenth and twentieth century. It is also a major part of the larger art trajectory which stretches back to the Renaissance.
Installation art gained popularity in the mid-twentieth century when there was a growing dissatisfaction for artists wanting to create something unsettling, different from the crowd, unfamiliar.
The Famous Proponents of the Genre…
There are a lot of artists who can claim the mantle and famous is often a subjective term. However, some of the more established famous names who can be mentioned include –
Whitfield Lovell from New York City, Ann Hamilton from Lima, Janine Antoni from Bahamas, Guy Maddin from Winnipeg, Canada, Teresita Fernandez from Miama, Florida, David Tremlett from Dartford, UK, Shirazeh Houshiary, Liam Gillick from Aylesbury, UK, etc.
The Famous Installation Arts…
Some of the installation pieces are quirky and some just plain interesting. Banksy, the infamous British artist put an axe on a telephone booth installation to showcase the end of the telephone booths in the UK.
Patrick Dougherty makes sculptures and huts from branches, twigs and saplings. Done from dry twigs, these art installations are made to resemble animals.Brazilian artist Nele Azevedo created sitting figurines of ice and this installation lasted till the last one melted.
Installation art becomes creative and interesting to watch simply because of the ‘intent’ of the artist and the material he decides to use to create art pieces.
