10.4 Theories and Interpretations of Global Contemporary Art

Contemporary artists often refuse to give a single meaning. Interpretations come from looking closely at form, materials and setting, from the artist's statements, from critics and scholars, and from viewers' own experiences. Theories such as feminism and postcolonialism give art historians different lenses. A strong interpretation explains how evidence from the work supports it, and admits other readings.

Ephemeral art, which lasts only a short time, and time-based media such as video also raise questions: if a work no longer exists, or exists only while it plays, where is the art? In the object, the experience, or the record left behind?

The Gates (New York City, U.S.; Christo and Jeanne-Claude; 1979–2005 CE; mixed-media installation). The artist couple first proposed the project in 1979, but the city refused permission in 1981. It was finally approved in 2003 and installed in Central Park from February 12 to 27, 2005. There were 7,503 gates, each about 5 meters (16 feet) tall, with saffron-colored nylon fabric hanging from the top, lining 23 miles of footpaths. When the wind blew, the fabric moved and glowed against the bare winter trees.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude paid the whole cost themselves, about 21 million dollars, by selling Christo's preparatory drawings and collages, and took no sponsors. Afterward the materials were recycled. They said the work had no hidden symbolism and was simply about joy and beauty. Viewers and critics read more into it: a celebration of public space, a ribbon guiding people through the park, a lesson in how temporary experiences gain value because they end. Its long history, from proposal to installation, is part of the work.

The Crossing (Bill Viola; 1996 CE; video/sound installation). In a dark room, two videos are projected on opposite sides of one large screen. On both, a man walks slowly toward you and stops. On one side, a small flame at his feet grows until he is consumed by fire. On the other, drops of water fall on his head and grow into a torrent. Both are shown in extreme slow motion, with a roaring soundtrack, and in the end the man vanishes.

Viola drew on many spiritual traditions, including Zen Buddhism, Christian mysticism and Sufism. Fire and water appear in rituals of destruction and purification around the world, so viewers read the work as being about death, transformation and renewal. Because you can't see both sides at once, you must walk around the screen, so the experience is physical as well as visual. Slow motion lets you notice changes too fast to see in real life.