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Bridge over Time  – methodological assumptions in research project on contemporary art

Methodological assumptions (research strategies) in collecting and selecting documentations of the  contemporary art in V4 countries. Originally conceived for the Bridge Over Time project.

Objectives

The general aim of our research within the project Bridge Over Time is to create a wide panoramic view of contemporary art in the V4 countries and in the Central European region. A more detailed goal is first to collect basic art facts about contemporary art in our region of Europe (this does not necessarily mean the most well-known facts), and only then to provide their contextual interpretation, i.e. the socio-political background on which art was created.

Methodological assumptions

Art facts are now largely dispersed in publications on national art. It is necessary to develop a common method of art facts selection and building comparisons of these facts between the countries of the region.

1. We should select the most radical artists, works and events, both in terms of the art itself and the context of creation. Because such events allow you to mark points in the history and work out a summary interpretation.
2. Art facts should be linked to the institutional context, i.e. exhibitions, symposia, workshops, open-air events, etc., because it allows to describe the functional infrastructure of artistic production and the conditions in which art was created.
3. A special focus should be placed on the description of the modernist / postmodern breakthrough, and the development of contextual narratives in the field of postmodern art. And among postmodern discourses, the sources and development of identity politics art play a key role in contemporary art.
4. Although each participant of the project elaborates on the national art of his country, the descriptions and interpretations should indicate international relations (both between artists and institutions). In particular, the subject of the study should be relations within our four countries, but also with other neighboring countries throughout our region of Central Europe.
5. The time scope of our research covers contemporary art, that is history from the 1960s. The natural end date is the political breakthrough of 1989/90. However, other time references obviously depend on the individual research plan. And despite the significance of the turning point in the fall of the Iron Curtain, individual research may point to ramifications in the field of art that extend beyond this date to recent times. postmodern art, identity politics art

Our work is to a large extent a reconstruction of the history of art from the perspective of time distance, this is how we build this Bridge Over Time.

Conceived by Łukasz Guzek, further elaborated together with Kata Balazs, Paweł Leszkowicz.

Supported by Visegrad Funs grant.

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