Art and Agency in the Era of De-Structuration: Exploring a New Field.

Human agency, implying, from sociology's perspective, proactive or even transformative individual behaviour upon the social world (or "social structures" as sociologists call them), remains one of the central concepts and problems for both social science and practice. Current stage of societal evolution, de-structuration, makes individual agency especially important for both individual and collective well-being. In this context, the contribution of contemporary art (2018-2022) to agency issues remains little known in the academic world. The objective of this paper is to examine how contemporary art representatives (artists, curators, and experts) express the issue of agency through their artworks, and to compare this viewpoint with the interpretations from other areas of public life. The focus is on those aspects, ideas, and meanings related to agency that are accessible to a broad audience and can be applied to phenomena outside the realm of art but remain overlooked or underdeveloped in current academic discussions on agency. The authors analyse initiatives in both institutional and non-institutional art on a global scale, and explore their manifestations and impact in comprehending and advancing agency. Finally, this article proposes a typology of agency manifestations in contemporary art: (1) straightforward (strong, radical, protest) agency; (2) escapism; (3) panic agency; (4) subject-object carnivalism.

A hole in a piece of cardboard and predictive brain: the incomprehension of modern art in the light of the predictive coding paradigm.

Incomprehension of and resistance to contemporaneous art have been constant features in the development of modern art. The predictive coding framework can be used to analyse this response by outlining the difference between the misunderstanding of (i) contemporary conceptual/minimalist art and (ii) early modern avant-garde art and by elucidating their underlying cognitive mechanisms. In both of these cases, incomprehension and its behavioural consequences are tied to the failure of the optimal prediction error (PE) minimization that is involved in the perception of such art works. In the case of contemporary conceptual/minimalist art the failure stems from the fact that the encounter results in non-salient visual sensations and generates no PE. In early modern avant-garde art, the occasional inability of viewers to recognize pictorial content using new pictorial conventions reflected the absence of suitable priors to explain away ambiguous sensory data. The capacity to recognize pictorial content in modernist painting, as a prerequisite for a satisfying encounter with such works and ultimately a wider acceptance of new artistic styles, required an updating of a number of expectations in order to optimize the fit between priors and sensations, from low-level perceptual priors to the development of higher-level, culturally determined expectations. This article is part of the theme issue 'Art, aesthetics and predictive processing: theoretical and empirical perspectives'.

Nanostructured bio-based castor oil organogels for the cleaning of artworks.

HYPOTHESIS: Organic solvents are often used for cleaning highly water-sensitive artifacts in modern/contemporary art. Due to the toxicity of most solvents, confining systems must be formulated to use these fluids in a safe and controlled way. We propose here castor oil (CO) organogels, obtained thorough cost-effective sustainable polyurethane crosslinking. This methodology is complementary to previously demonstrated hydrogels, when conservators opt for organic solvents over aqueous formulations. EXPERIMENTS: The gels were characterized via Small-angle Neutron Scattering and rheology before and after swelling in two organic solvents commonly adopted in cleaning paintings. The removal of a photo-aged acrylic-ketonic varnish was evaluated under visible and ultraviolet light, and with FTIR 2D imaging. FINDINGS: The new gels are dry systems that can be easily stored and loaded with solvents before use. Their nanoscale organization, viscoelasticity and cleaning action are controlled changing the amount of crosslinking, the polymeric backbone, and the loaded solvents. The fluids are confined in the nanosized polymeric mesh of the gels, which are highly retentive, granting controlled release over delicate paint layers, and transparent, allowing monitoring of the cleaning process. These features, along with their sustainable synthesis, candidate the CO organogels as feasible solutions for cultural heritage preservation, expanding the palette of advanced tools for conservators over traditional thickeners.

The light aging behavior of daylight fluorescent paints: a colorimetric, photographic, Raman spectroscopic and fluorescence spectroscopic study.

Daylight fluorescent pigments with their intense color effects have attracted great interest among artists since their market launch in the mid-twentieth century. Since then they have been widely used in the visual arts. The pigments are mainly compositions of organic fluorescent dyes and optical brighteners diluted in an insoluble resin. Due to the susceptibility of the dyes to visible and UV radiation, their lightfastness is comparatively low. This paper presents a comprehensive study of the color and fluorescence changes of daylight fluorescent paints upon exposure in visible light and ultraviolet radiation conducted on mock-ups of commercial daylight fluorescent pigments. The different aging characteristics of the pigments depend on the color tone. They were recorded by means of photographic and colorimetric documentation. In addition, Raman spectroscopy was used to identify the main dyes of the various pigments, even in the complex system of paints, consisting of primer, binder, resin and dyes, and to determine their degradation during aging. Fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that the change in fluorescent color may not only be due to the decrease in dye concentration, but also to the transformation of the original dyes into other fluorescent compounds during light aging. Finally, this paper provides recommendations for the presentation of artworks containing daylight fluorescent pigments. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40494-022-00812-4.

Contra a Arte Bruta: sofrimento mental, segregação e arte contemporânea / Against Raw Art: Mental suffering, segregation and contemporary art / Contre l'Art Brut: Soufrance mentale, ségrégation et art contemporain / Contra el Arte Bruto: sufrimiento mental, segregación y arte contemporáneo

O artigo apresenta o conceito "Arte bruta" e acompanha suas principais articulações nos campos da arte e saúde mental até a década de 1960. Em uma análise crítica, explicita-se como este, apesar de incitar à valorização do material artístico produzido por pacientes psiquiátricos e outros artistas fora do circuito erudito, contribui para uma categorização segregacionista dos artistas ditos "loucos", ao adotar uma compreensão reducionista e idealizada da criação como expressão espontânea, acessível a tais sujeitos justamente por estarem "apartados da cultura". Mostra-se ainda que tal noção, apesar de utilizada ainda hoje, foi objeto de remodelamento e renomeação - como "outsider art", especialmente - entre 1960/1970, com a desnaturalização do isolamento dos ditos "doentes" trazida pela Reforma Psiquiátrica e o advento de mudanças significativas na concepção de arte e produção artística.

This paper presents the concept of "Raw Art," following its main articulations in the field of art and mental health until the 1960s. Through a critical analysis, the text shows how this concept, despite encouraging the appreciation of artistic materials produced by psychiatric patients and other naïve artists, contributes to a segregationist categorization of the so-called "mad" artists, by adopting a reductionist and idealized understanding of creation as a spontaneous expression, accessible to these subjects precisely because they are "outsiders." Such notion, although still used today, underwent remodeling and renaming-as "outsider art"-between 1960/70, following the denaturalization of isolation for the so-called "insane" brought by the Psychiatric Reform and the advent of significant changes in the conception of art and artistic production.

Cet article présente le concept d'"art brut", en suivant ses principales articulations dans les domaines de l'art et de la santé mentale jusqu'aux années 1960. Dans un abordage critique, le texte montre comment ce concept, bien qu'il mène à une valorisation du matériel artistique produit par des patients psychiatriques et d'autres artistes dits naïf, contribue à une catégorisation ségrégationniste des artistes dits «"fous", en adoptant une compréhension réductionniste et idéalisée de la création en tant qu'expression spontanée, accessible à ces sujets précisément parce qu'ils sont "en dehors de la culture". Cette notion, bien qu'encore utilisée aujourd'hui, a subi un remodelage et un changement de nom - en tant qu'"outsider art" - entre 1960/1970, suite à la dénaturalisation de l'isolement des soi-disant "fous" apportée par la réforme psychiatrique et à l'avènement de changements significatifs dans la conception de l'art et de la production artistique.

Este trabajo presenta el concepto de "Arte Bruto" y sigue sus principales articulaciones en los ámbitos del arte y la salud mental hasta la década de 1960. A través de un análisis crítico se muestra cómo este concepto, a pesar de incentivar la apreciación del material artístico producido por pacientes psiquiátricos y otros artistas fuera del ámbito erudito, contribuye a una categorización segregacionista de los llamados artistas "locos" al adoptar una comprensión reduccionista e idealizada de la creación como expresión espontánea, accesible a dichos sujetos precisamente por estar "apartados de la cultura". También se muestra que tal noción, aunque todavía se utiliza hoy, fue objeto de remodelación y renombramiento - como "outsider arte" especialmente - entre 1960/1970, con la desnaturalización del aislamiento de los llamados "locos" que trajo la Reforma Psiquiátrica y el advenimiento de cambios significativos en la concepción del arte y la producción artística.

Hypersymbiotics™: An artistic reflection on the ethical and environmental implications of microbiome research and new technologies.

This essay describes my ongoing series "Hypersymbiotics™," which began in 2012 and explores the potential ways in which our microbiome, genetics, epigenetics and even our environment could potentially be enhanced to turn us into human 'super-organisms.' The series includes performances and installations involving BioArt, as well as photographic documentation of ephemeral artworks and takes the form of a vehicle for public discussion about new healthcare technologies. The essay discusses artworks made using synthetic biology techniques including CRISPR genetic modification in bacteria and yeasts, and gene editing in plants, as well as using artificial intelligence and stem cell research. It critiques the role of the media and advertising in the promotion of complex new biomedical technologies. The "Hypersymbiotics™" series is deeply concerned with promoting public understanding of the ethical implications of new scientific developments and enabling reflection and debate. At its core the artwork is about knowledge, power, and control and where that resides.

Chinese contemporary art teachers' professional development in the 20th and 21st centuries within the multicultural framework.

The study of contemporary art is one of the main means of implementing aesthetic education in China. This discipline allows a student to develop a system of spiritual values, reveal talents and acquire skills needed for professional growth. Chinese art is an integral part of the global cultural space, and Chinese contemporary art performs the functions of cultural reflection, occupying an important place in developing the state's cultural identity. In the process of globalization, it is extremely important to study not only Chinese, but also world contemporary art, as well as the peculiarities of its teaching in the educational institutions of the PRC within the framework of the multiculturalism movement. The study objectives are to develop a unique online platform for teaching and learning contemporary art in China, to identify the features of art teacher training, to identify the methods of and trends in teaching contemporary art in the Chinese system of secondary and higher education, as well as to determine the most effective method of teaching contemporary art in China based on the experiment. In the course of the study, a plan and structure of the website containing audio and video materials, graphic editors and a conference system for students and teachers were developed. An innovative classification of the contemporary art movements was made in accordance with the tools and methods of creating art works. The styles of contemporary art were divided into groups: painting, sculpture/architecture, photography, cybernetic art, literature, optical art, theatrical art, mass culture, and hybrid art. The database was compiled by the masters of Art from China and Ireland, which emphasizes the internationality and multiculturalism of the project. An experiment was conducted to determine the level of effectiveness of different methods of teaching contemporary art in China. In the course of the experiment, the Spark platform developed for the study purpose was recognized as the most effective (56.1%). The effectiveness of the active method and passive method of teaching was 27.2% and 16.7%, respectively. The study results can be used in the study of various trends in contemporary art in the process of modernization and within the framework of pedagogical and commercial activities related to the work of exhibitions and galleries. In addition, they can be used to improve the methods of teaching contemporary art online and offline to the broad public audience and improve the professional skills of graphic or UI/UX designers, 3D modeling experts, engineers, editors, and IT developers. The practical significance of the developed online platform lies in the possibility of database use, practical application of the knowledge gained, and taking online lessons with Chinese and foreign teachers as part of a multicultural experience exchange.

Exploring the Materials and Condition of 20th-Century Dolls in Zoe Leonard's Mouth Open, Teeth Showing 2000.

Systematic condition and analytical surveys were carried out on Zoe Leonard's (b. 1961) Mouth Open, Teeth Showing 2000, an installation artwork in Tate's collection consisting of 162 children's dolls. The dolls were manufactured at various points within the 20th century and encompass several potentially problematic synthetic polymers found in modern and contemporary museum collections. To explore the doll materials and conservation condition, a multi-analytical approach was used to identify key synthetic polymer types and additives present, including portable and bench analytical techniques. Challenging degradation phenomena associated with different types of doll have been discussed and related to their material composition, which has helped our understanding of the conservation challenges inherent to this contemporary artwork.

A pioneer of acrylic painting: new insights into Carmen Herrera's studio practice.

Carmen Herrera, born on May 30th, 1915, is a Cuban American abstract minimalist artist, whose first solo show was held at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, in 2016-2017. On this occasion, a scientific study of five paintings from the artist's time in Paris (1948-1953) revealed her pioneering use of solvent-based acrylic paints in post-war Europe. This article presents a second phase of research into Herrera's work aiming to shed light on her studio practice and ascertain the possible presence of other early acrylic paints in her pre-1963 artistic production. A selection of four paintings, namely Iberia #25 (1948), Iberic (1949), Flights of Colors #16 (1949), and Early Dynasty (1953), was subjected to an analytical campaign that relied on both non-invasive and micro-invasive techniques. Results confirmed the use of both oil and solvent-based acrylic paints, supporting our primary research and uncovering the first-known occurrence of acrylic binders in Herrera's Iberia #25. In all cases, the ground layer consists of a mixture of titanium white in its tetragonal form of rutile, anhydrite, and talc, while the color palette was found to be based on both traditional and modern pigments. In most areas, several paint layers appeared to be overlaid on top of one another, revealing a creative process that developed through subsequent compositions. Remnants of earlier paint layers, which appeared to have been scraped off before new ones were applied, were observed directly above the ground in some of the samples examined. In addition, Iberia #25 and Iberic, with analogous geometric and chromatic schemes, underwent technical imaging, which exposed pencil lines and notes underneath the paint layers likely indicative of the intended design and polychromy. Besides corroborating a major alteration in the current scholarship on the availability and use of acrylic-based artists' paints in post-war Europe, this research provides new insights into Herrera's materials, techniques, and studio practice. In addition, the results of this scientific study assisted the development of a suitable treatment plan for Iberic in preparation for its display in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's galleries as part of the museum's 150th anniversary exhibition Making The Met, 1870-2020. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40494-021-00603-3.

What about Phenol Formaldehyde (PF) Foam in Modern-Contemporary Art? Insights into the Unaged and Naturally Aged Material by a Multi-Analytical Approach.

The ageing behavior of phenol formaldehyde (PF) foam, a material increasingly used in modern-contemporary art, was investigated by a multi-analytical approach. PF foams with open- and closed-cell structures were selected and analyzed in their unaged and naturally indoor-aged state by employing optical microscopy (OM) and fiber optical reflectance spectroscopy (FORS) for assessing their morphology and color alteration. Micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (µ-FTIR) was used for determining chemical changes and oxidation processes, and the acidity was monitored by pH measurements. The results clearly showed the extreme sensitivity of both open- and closed-cell PF foams to conditions typically found in indoor museums. OM indicated that the cells of the foams are prone to disrupt, and a tendency towards a red color shift was observed with FORS. µ-FTIR revealed the formation of quinone groups resulting from oxidation reactions. Finally, a slight decrease in the acidity was found by pH measurements.

What Fate for Plastics in Artworks? An Overview of Their Identification and Degradative Behaviour.

This review is conceived as a guide for material science researchers and conservators aiming to face the problem of deterioration of contemporary artworks entirely or partially made of plastics. It initially illustrates the analytical approaches for identifying polymeric material components in 3D art objects, such as sculptures and installations, and provides a perspective of their limits and advantages. Subsequently, the methodologies used for studying the deterioration of contemporary art plastics are reviewed, emphasising the main effects of the different types of degradation (i.e., migration of additives, oxidation and hydrolysis) and suggesting the appropriate techniques for their detection. Finally, the application of artificial ageing tests is critically assessed. All the concepts are elaborated through case studies and examples.

Accelerated Ageing Procedures to Assess the Stability of an Unconventional Acrylic-Wax Polymeric Emulsion for Contemporary Art.

This research evaluates the stability of an aqueous emulsion of acrylic copolymers and waxes. Edelwachs, generally applied on wood, has been recently used as an unconventional medium in contemporary painting. Through Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) and Fourier Transformed Infrared Attenuated Total Reflectance (FT-IR-ATR) analyses, the composition of Edelwachs was defined as a mixture of acrylic polymers (MA, MMA, nBA, nBMA), Carnauba and microcrystalline waxes and additives. Mock-ups-obtained mixing Edelwachs with titanium white, zinc white and ultramarine blue were subjected to UV, high temperatures, and high relative humidity accelerated ageing. The effect of the ageing procedures was evaluated through optical microscopy, colourimetric measurements, FT-IR-ATR, Thermogravimetry and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (TG-DSC) and wettability measures. FT-IR-ATR spectra do not show significant variations in terms of chemical stability, indicating a fair stability of Edelwachs as a painting binder. UV and high temperature treatments show the most relevant effects in terms of colorimetric changes (increasing of b*) and thermal stability. The TG-DSC highlights the influence of the pigments (specifically zinc white) mainly on the thermal behaviour of the acrylates. The unexpected decrease of wettability of the paint films, registered after ageing, may indicate a possible phase separation among acrylates and waxes.

Seeing Suppresses Haptic Pleasure While Perceiving Contemporary Art.

To date, haptic aesthetic processing has been tested outside the field of real works of art. By providing the context of a contemporary art exhibition designed to be touched, we studied haptic pleasure towards artworks. In line with our hypothesis, seeing affected the evaluation of haptic pleasure which was higher in the blindfolded-tactile than visuo-tactile condition. Thus, seeing seems to impede the tactile processing of artworks.

Characterization of contemporary and historical acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)-based objects: Pilot study for handheld Raman analysis in collections.

Plastic materials are increasingly becoming part of private and public collections worldwide, either as design objects or artistic sculptures. The preservation of these highly degradable materials requires novel analytical approaches able to reveal their chemical composition to inform the tailoring of appropriate conservation procedures. In this work Raman spectroscopy and Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) were proposed as methods for the characterization of ABS-based contemporary and historical LEGO® objects. Twenty-three objects of twelve different colors were analyzed by handheld and benchtop Raman instrumentation. In all cases clear identification of the constituent polymer matrices (ABS, polycarbonate, poly(methyl metacrylate)) was obtained. In addition, identification of major color components was achieved, such as copper phthalocyanines in green and blue objects. Low cost handheld instrumentation provided acceptable sensitivity towards polymers and coloring media, and was found suitable for initial screening of the objects. Benchtop Raman was used to confirm and further extend identification, as well as for building background information. Finally, SERS sensitivity was found comparable to the sensitivity achieved by benchtop Raman instrumentation. However, the associated minimally-invasive sampling method made SERS a valid alternative to direct Raman spectroscopy for the analysis of immovable and/or large-sized objects. Overall, this work represents the first systematic investigation on the potential of Raman and SERS spectroscopies as methods for minimal invasive and/or in situ analysis of historical and contemporary plastic objects.

Perceived cognitive challenge predicts eye movements while viewing contemporary paintings.

Contemporary art is often challenging for the viewer, especially when it violates classic rules of representation. Also, viewers usually have little knowledge about this type of art, making its reception even more difficult. Our main research question was how the cognitive challenge associated with contemporary art affects eye movement. In particular, we aimed to assess the impact on eye movements of (a) object-related cognitive challenge in terms of image properties (syntactic and semantic violations) and (b) subject-related cognitive challenge (composite subjective estimate of image inconsistency, ambiguity, and complexity). The eye movements of expert and naive participants were recorded while they freely viewed digital copies of contemporary paintings (four groups of five paintings each, differing in presence of semantic and syntactic violations). We found that neither violations nor art expertise alone predicted eye movements, although perceived, subjectively experienced cognitive challenge did. In particular, subject-related cognitive challenge was associated with an increase in visual exploration (longer and more numerous fixations, bigger area of exploration, longer viewing time). The roles of object-related and subject-related indicators of cognitive challenge in perception of contemporary art are discussed.

Lucio Fontana and the light: Spectroscopic analysis of the artist's collection at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art.

In this work the results deriving from the characterization of materials used by Lucio Fontana to realize some of his artworks are presented. Specifically, object of analyses are three artworks from the collection of National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome, whose complex composition required the combination of different diagnostic techniques for a complete characterization. Microscopic fragments from the artworks were analyzed through X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Fourier Transformed InfraRed (FTIR) spectroscopy, in transmission and in Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) mode, and Raman spectroscopy to obtain information on the atomic and molecular species and to individuate pigments and binders. In one case, the richness in different materials and the not homogenous distribution on the artwork surface required the additional use of portable techniques, as Visible Light Reflectance and Raman spectroscopies with optical fiber probes, to map the surface. The combination of these techniques resulted to be a powerful tool in order to obtain a complete characterization of artist's choices and provided new information to understand the evolution of his technique.

Twin-chain polymer hydrogels based on poly(vinyl alcohol) as new advanced tool for the cleaning of modern and contemporary art.

Conservation of our cultural heritage is fundamental for conveying to future generations our culture, traditions, and ways of thinking and behaving. Cleaning art, in particular modern/contemporary paintings, with traditional tools could be risky and impractical, particularly on large collections of important works to be transferred to future generations. We report on advanced cleaning systems, based on twin-chain polymer networks made of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) chains, semiinterpenetrated (semi-IPN) with PVA of lower molecular weight (L-PVA). Interpenetrating L-PVA causes a change from gels with oriented channels to sponge-like semi-IPNs with disordered interconnected pores, conferring different gel (and solvent) dynamics. These features grant residue-free, time efficient cleaning capacity and effective dirt capture, defeating risks for the artifact, making possible a safer treatment of important collections, unconceivable with conventional methods. We report as an example the conservation of Jackson Pollock's masterpieces, cleaned in a controlled way, safety and selectivity with unprecedented performance.

Digging Deeper into Precision/Personalized Medicine: Cracking the Sugar Code, the Third Alphabet of Life, and Sociomateriality of the Cell.

Precision/personalized medicine is a hot topic in health care. Often presented with the motto "the right drug, for the right patient, at the right dose, and the right time," precision medicine is a theory for rational therapeutics as well as practice to individualize health interventions (e.g., drugs, food, vaccines, medical devices, and exercise programs) using biomarkers. Yet, an alien visitor to planet Earth reading the contemporary textbooks on diagnostics might think precision medicine requires only two biomolecules omnipresent in the literature: nucleic acids (e.g., DNA) and proteins, known as the first and second alphabet of biology, respectively. However, the precision/personalized medicine community has tended to underappreciate the third alphabet of life, the "sugar code" (i.e., the information stored in glycans, glycoproteins, and glycolipids). This article brings together experts in precision/personalized medicine science, pharmacoglycomics, emerging technology governance, cultural studies, contemporary art, and responsible innovation to critically comment on the sociomateriality of the three alphabets of life together. First, the current transformation of targeted therapies with personalized glycomedicine and glycan biomarkers is examined. Next, we discuss the reasons as to why unraveling of the sugar code might have lagged behind the DNA and protein codes. While social scientists have historically noted the importance of constructivism (e.g., how people interpret technology and build their values, hopes, and expectations into emerging technologies), life scientists relied on the material properties of technologies in explaining why some innovations emerge rapidly and are more popular than others. The concept of sociomateriality integrates these two explanations by highlighting the inherent entanglement of the social and the material contributions to knowledge and what is presented to us as reality from everyday laboratory life. Hence, we present a hypothesis based on a sociomaterial conceptual lens: because materiality and synthesis of glycans are not directly driven by a template, and thus more complex and open ended than sequencing of a finite length genome, social construction of expectations from unraveling of the sugar code versus the DNA code might have evolved differently, as being future-uncertain versus future-proof, respectively, thus potentially explaining the "sugar lag" in precision/personalized medicine diagnostics over the past decades. We conclude by introducing systems scientists, physicians, and biotechnology industry to the concept, practice, and value of responsible innovation, while glycomedicine and other emerging biomarker technologies (e.g., metagenomics and pharmacomicrobiomics) transition to applications in health care, ecology, pharmaceutical/diagnostic industries, agriculture, food, and bioengineering, among others.