WHAT IS AN INSTALLATION ART Temporality
Installation art is almost always designed for a temporary
The term “installation”, which appeared in the 1970’s, period and is described by its duration rather than the
generally applies to works created for interior spaces (ie. typical measurements of height, length, and width.
Gallery, museum); outdoor works are more often
Installation Arts is Needed for :
referred to as public art, land art, or, to put it roughly,
humans intervening on an environment and putting their Critical Thinking.
“stamp” on it. These themes are underlying, and they’re abstract
compared to the pieces themselves, which means
The Installation Art Movement was coined in the mid- audiences have to think critically about what the subject
twentieth century to label trends in artists rethinking the matter they’re ingesting.
relationship between their art and the space it occupies,
If a traditional work of art allows us to appreciate the
as well as the role of the audience as active participants. craftsmanship of the artist, an installation allows us to
experience the ‘artwork’ and perhaps even rethink our
Installation Art invites the viewer to be an active attitudes and values.” – Encyclopedia of Art
participant in the overall experience of the work. Rather
than a two-dimensional object, installation art appeals to Inspiration
several senses and uses space as a part of its Installation art can inspire change. So many artists
explore heavy themes that are deliberately brought to
manifestation.
the attention of their audience that they may not
otherwise have been aware of. These pieces of art
Installation art is the term applied to three-dimensional inspire people to continue to sprea awareness and
works that usually occupy the entire room or gallery and create change in their communities.
are created to change the perception of a space.
It can be either… Emotion.
Mobile (or re-mountable); Installation art can have some dark themes behind its
creation. Cultural issues, political issues, war, death,
permanent (or fixed);
oppression, and other subjects that aren’t necessarily
Ephemeral (or temporary). easy to discuss. The goal behind installation art is to
evoke emotion and conversation and to bring light to
Characteristics of Installation Art issues that are important to the artist.
Mixed media It demands critical thinking and emotion of its viewers,
and it inspires other artists to create. It creates
Contemporary artists usually create art installations in
meaningful connections between the artist and the
mixed media. Artworks might involve painting and audience, mainly if their work is speaking for those who
sculpture, as well as text, music, and light. Video and do not have a voice.
audio components often serve as supplementary
materials to interact with viewers.
Installation Artists
Sensory experience
AI WEIWEI is an artist from Beijing, China. He is a
This point follows from the previous one. The installation
allows the spectator to enter, move around, touch, and filmmaker, visual artist, installation artist, author, and
smell the medium. Thus, it engages several senses of a architectural artist. His most notable works include teaming
human, making them immerse in the artwork up with architects to design and create the Beijing National
completely. Stadium for the 2008 Olympics, but make no mistake, this
man's legacy cannot really be summed up in just a couple of
Conceptual use of space big pieces.
Art installations grew out of artists focused
on conceptual art, which is an art based on ideas rather
than the aesthetic qualities of works.
Site-specificity
An art installation is all about the process of placing
something in a space, which implies that it has a direct
relationship with that space. This quality makes
installation a truly unique form of art.
DAMIEN HIRST is an English artist and art collector. His Kusama has built many interactive rooms in her
most notable work that seems to be his big "hit" is called The installation artwork series. Each room has a different
Physical Impossibilities of Death in the Mind of Someone theme or concept.
Living, which is a large tiger shark suspended in blue
The audience can be immersed in Kusama’s Infinity
formaldehyde in a tank, created in 1991. Hirst is a two-time Mirror Rooms. They can walk through the artwork and
Turner Prize recipient. Some of his other works includes the see themselves reflected in it. They can also take photos
recreation of a chemists studio, called Pharmacy, Away From of themselves in it.
The Flock, which was a dead sheep in formaldehyde and The
Dream, which was a unicorn suspended in formaldehyde. A
central theme of Hirst's work is the Broken Dream.
Reference: Main Characteristics of Installation Art.
KARA WALKER is an American silhouette and installation
Fineartshippers.com | https://fineartshippers.com/main-characteristics-
artist who has instructed at Columbia University. Her of-art-installations/
exhibitions have traveled all over the United States and Paris,
being held in museums and the ARC/Musee d’Art Moderne de InstallationArt.Study.com|https://study.com/academy/lesson/art-
installations-definition-examples.html#:~:text=Most%20art
la ville de Paris. She has held 4 other solo exhibitions, and has %20installations%20are%20considered,My%20Bed%20by%20Tracey
been commissioned for other public art installations. Her %20Emin.
artwork depicts themes surrounding race, gender, equality,
violence, sexuality and identity. https://davidcharlesfox.com/what-is-installation-art-description-history-
and-prominent-artists/
Born in Colombia, DORIS SALCEDO is a visual artist most
known for her usage of commonplace items in her work. Members:
Kevin Fernandez
JUDY CHICAGO is an installation and feminist artist that Denmark Taganahan
hails from the United States. Since her first exhibition in 1965, Carolyne Luega
Judy has had a longstanding career. Her most notable Jessa Mae Roquillas
installations are The Dinner Party, International Honor Quilt
(shown below), The Birth Project, Powerplay and The
Holocaust Project.
OLAFUR ELIASSON is an artist that is well known for his
inclusion of the elements to make the viewer's experience
exceptional. He is a Danish-Icelandic artist who primarily
works with light, air temperature, wind, and water to enhance
his installation pieces.
BRUCE NAUMAN is an artist from the United States that is
well versed in many different art forms. His work spans
drawing, sculpting, working with neon and more. There is an
undeniable sexuality to his work that, when combined with the
somewhat crude, universalized advertisement-like overtones
in his work…the sort of eye grabbing modernity…that make
the viewer subject to a wide array of reactions and emotions.
JOSEPH BEUYS was a German artist who practiced all
forms of art. His art philosophy was “extended definition of
art and the idea of social sculpture as a gesamtkunstwerk,
which means a work of art that uses all art forms, or tries to.
YAYOI KUSAMA
Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Rooms
Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese mixed media artist. One of
her most notable works is her series of installation
artworks “Infinity Mirror Rooms”.
