If you listen to the John Waters video (on art) and jot down the nouns and adjectives that he uses to describe contemporary art, you’ll end up with a list of powerful words such as: wreck, hate, toxic, and anger. One of the first things he says succinctly summarizes his overall opinion. “ Contemporary art’s job is to wreck the art before it”. In using the word wreck, meaning: to ruin, destruct, and demolish, Waters interestingly identifies the relationship between contemporary art and the art that precedes it.
Although Waters addresses the contemporary in comedic tone, the aggression in the words he uses to describe it accurately reflect the contemporary’s in-your-face attitude. As we discussed in class, contemporary art tends to be invested in an idea rather than the execution or the final product. Walters point out that calling an artwork pretty is an insult, not a complement. Understandably, this “ugly art” can make the common viewer feel tricked or outsmarted by the artist and work. On the other hand, contemporary art’s wit, experimentation and continuous questioning blurs boundaries that lead to new discoveries and growth.
In a sense, I share Waters’ amusement with the newness of contemporary art (even if it is toxic), especially since what we now consider beautiful art was at one point as contemporary and confusing as the art of today.
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