Contemporary Art

The description contemporary art generally refers to any art that is being produced today or since the Second World War. The use of the word "contemporary" to define this type of art is mainly due to the lack of any one particular school of art as recognized by current artists, art historians and critics. It generally includes art produced from the 1960s to the present not forgetting however that artists are still creating works in many past styles and modes.

Contemporary art can be hard to categorise. Before the latter part of the 1960s, most artwork could be categorized quite easily. Even through the 1970s and 80s, there were certain trends such as Minimalism, Lyrical Abstraction, and Conceptual Art to name a few. The changes taking place in the world and the speed with which ideas and communication can be shared mean that a lot of the defining boundaries of art groups have become relaxed.

Contemporary art deals with themes as universal as any other period in art history: human emotion, politics, nature and so on. Though contemporary art has acquired a reputation for being obtuse and sensationalist in its quest for originality, this is often an unfair assessment. At CCA we aim to de-mystify contemporary art and make it accessible for all.