Contemporary Art Commons^™

Among The Remnants, Jade-Lynn B. Lewis Vance

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This written thesis serves as supporting documentation and research for my Master of Fine Arts thesis exhibition, Among the Remnants, at West Virginia University. This dissertation will explain how my artistic vision, influences, research, and thesis exhibition fits into larger art and cultural contexts. Drawing from art history and theory, my work explores memory, touch, and fragmentation. My fascination with artifacts and the stories they hold inspires my research and drives me to create personal connections within my own art. The figurative sculptures serve as a vessel for recalling impactful experiences and embodying personal perception and these interactions. The …

Art Heals Chicago: Murals On The South Side Of Xicágo, Brenda Rodriguez

Pomona Senior Theses

Mural making as a collective art form is a tool for healing, resistance, and cultural pride in Black and Brown communities. With my focus being on Mexican American communities on the South Side of Chicago, specifically Pilsen. I make ties to indigenous motifs and the history of Mexican Muralism to show how it has evolved and how murals in the 1960s and 70s were used for healing from violence and the revolution. Murals that include images that reference the Mesoamerican past and preconquest life are a powerful way of reclaiming one’s identity and asserting one's indigeneity in the present and …

Size Matters: How Physical Scale Is (Or Is Not) Rewarded In A Global, Ultra-Contemporary, Online Art Market, Odd Halvdan Sakse Orstavik

MA in Art Business Dissertations

This dissertation examines how the relationship between the size and price of paintings has evolved throughout the 21st century by analysing an up-to-date dataset of 18,821 works by 103 artists offered at auction between 2000-2025 within 3 distinct segments of the market (Blue-Chip, Contemporary and Ultra-Contemporary). The main finding is that the size elasticity differs in each of these segments. It is highest for the Blue-Chip segment (0.71), lower for the Contemporary segment (0.59) and lowest for the Ultra-Contemporary segment (0.55). Contrary to many previous results, it finds no optimal size within the range of works offered at auction. As …

Changing Art Market Trends And Collector Preferences In India’S Metropolitan Hubs Amid Economic Growth, Gauri Minocha

MA in Art Business Dissertations

The dissertation aims to explore how India’s post-liberalisation economic rise has shaped the structure, buying trends, and consumer behaviour within the urban art market, with the focus being on the country’s two main hubs- Delhi and Mumbai. It investigates the role of economic liberalisation, demographic shifts, globalisation, digitisation, and regulatory frameworks in reshaping the market. A mixed-method approach, combined with site visits, studying existing research, and conducting semi-structured interviews with key market players- gallerists, collectors, advisors, and fair directors, was employed. The findings reveal that the Indian market followed a ‘boom-bust-boom’ cycle post liberalisation, with the pandemic serving as a …

Contemporary Art And Cultural Identity In Post-Soviet Kazakhstan, Dinara Saduakassova

MA in Art Business Dissertations

This dissertation explores the development of contemporary Kazakhstani art after 1991, arguing that the independent nation’s international cultural visibility is defined by artists rather than institutions. Operating without state infrastructure, Said Atabekov, the Kyzyl Tractor collective, Almagul Menlibayeva, Saule Suleimenova, and Yerbossyn Meldibekov gained international recognition via biennales, exhibitions, and transnational networks. Their practices challenge state narratives of heroic nationalism and Western expectations. Case studies, interviews, and analysis of Rukhani Zhangyru and new institutions like Tselinny, enable this dissertation to argue that Kazakhstan’s position in global art history is artist driven.

Censorship In The Indian Art Market: Legal, Institutional, And Commercial Implications, Kritika Salhotra

MA in Art Business Dissertations

This dissertation examines censorship of art in an Indian context, focusing on artistic production, exhibition practices, and the commercial viability of dissenting art. Drawing on case studies from institutional controversies, legal judgments, and interviews with practitioners, the study analyses how censorship operates not only through law but also through institutional gatekeeping and market mechanisms. The research finds that while Indian courts, particularly at the higher levels, have shown slow progress towards becoming liberal, the persistence of vague obscenity provisions and inconsistent jurisprudence sustains a climate of legal ambiguity. Extralegal pressures often shape curatorial decisions, leading art organisations to retreat or …

From Visibility To Value: How Can Digital Art Achieve Long-Term Legitimacy In The Contemporary Artworld?, Ziyuan Wang

MA in Art Business Dissertations

This dissertation explores the evolving legitimacy of digital art within the contemporary artworld, addressing the central question: How can digital art achieve long-term legitimacy in a cultural landscape increasingly shaped by decentralised networks and technological innovation? Through a qualitative methodology involving interviews with digital artist, curator, collectors, and platform leader, this study aims to discover how value, legitimacy, and aesthetic quality are constructed in digital art markets.

Within the art ecosystem, digital art often emerges from community based, peer-to-peer validation, which generates visibility and drives market activity such as high-profile sales. Yet, participants continue to place value on institutional endorsement …

Milan As A Future Art Capital: Opportunities And Limitations Within The European Art Landscape, Camilla Zoe Nicelli

MA in Art Business Dissertations

Italy is renowned world-wide for its cultural heritage but contemporarily being resistant to innovation, however Milan can be viewed as an exception. it’s a city which combines art, fashion, finance and design, and it has been recognised as a future art capital. Nevertheless, there is a significant absence of scholarly research analysing the Milanese art market in a systematic manner. The aim of this dissertation is to answer the following research question: “What factors will allow Milan to establish itself within the European art landscape, and what are the challenges that might limit its rise as an art capital?”. This …

Artwork Or It-Bag? How Arts-Luxury Collaborations Impact Artist Cultural Visibility, Edwina Keary

MA in Art Business Dissertations

Since Marc Jacobs’ introduction to Louis Vuitton in 1997 and experimentation with artist collaboration, art and luxury collaboration has boomed. Over the years, customer demands have shifted in the wake of postmodern consumer culture, and brands must keep up with them to maintain their competitive advantage. The nature of collaborations has therefore shifted their focus to include experiences as well as products. Different collaboration types have a unique impact on both the brand and the artists involved. This research explores the impact of product versus experience-based collaboration on the cultural visibility of the artists involved through press coverage analysis. This …

Institutional Legitimation And Artistic Value In Portuguese Contemporary Art, Constança Maria Lobo De Castro Afonso

MA in Art Business Dissertations

This dissertation examines the mechanisms of institutional legitimation in the Portuguese art market, with main emphasis on museums, curatorial practices, media mediation and the ever-changing role of public participation. Drawing field theory (Bourdieu), art world sociology (Becker) and recent studies of media and symbolic capital, it positions Portugal as a ‘semi-peripheral’ market in which institutional framing and international infrastructures play a critical role in establishing value and reputation. The literature review shows that legitimacy is collectively produced by a constellation of actors, narratives and conventions, rather than solely by the intrinsic properties of artworks or straightforward market demand.

Through a …

Female Ultra-Contemporary Artists: Rise And Career Trajectories, Alexie Talabard

MA in Art Business Dissertations

Over the past decade, ultra-contemporary women artists, those born after 1974, have gained important visibility and market success. Despite the attention they attract, there has been little academic research on why this rise has happened. This dissertation explores the factors behind their prominence, looking at how the art market, institutions, social movements and digital platforms, have shaped their success.

The study draws on literature, market data, case studies and interviews to situate these artists within both commercial and cultural contexts. It finds that their rise is not just a short-term trend but reflects broader shifts in the art world, including …

Representation And Cross-Cultural Mediation Of Contemporary Ink Art In New York’S Primary Art Market: A Case Study Of Fqm Gallery, Mengtian Melody Yang

MA Theses

This study investigates the representation and cross-cultural mediation of contemporary Chinese ink art within New York’s primary art market. Using Fu Qiumeng Fine Art (FQM) as a core case study, the research adopts a qualitative methodological framework that integrates document analysis, visual analysis, and semi-structured field interviews to examine how the gallery operates as a cultural intermediary. It explores how FQM defines and frames “Contemporary Ink Art,” selects and presents artists, and translates the aesthetic and philosophical foundations of this tradition for Western audiences. The findings show that FQM positions ink art not merely as a medium-based practice but as …

The Cultural Adaptation Of Abstract Expressionism In The Middle East, Solmaz Shoukohi

MA Theses

Abstract Expressionism emerged in post-WWII New York as both an artistic revolution and a tool of cultural diplomacy. This thesis examines how that ostensibly “American” art movement was adapted and transformed in the Middle East from the 1950s through the  1980s. Chapter 1 outlines the rise of Abstract Expressionism amid Cold War politics, highlighting how the style was promoted globally as a symbol of freedom. It discusses the role of U.S. institutions in exporting avant-garde art – famously described by Eva Cockcroft as a “weapon of the Cold War” – through touring exhibitions and covert sponsorship. Chapter 2 then traces …

About Witch Hunt: Feminist And Political Agency In Contemporary Art, Rana Sumerler

MA Theses

The Witch Hunt exhibition conjures a powerful dialogue between history, identity, and empowerment, bringing together sixteen international artists to channel the spirit of the witch. This show traces a vast genealogy of women—from the 15th century witch hunts to Californian artistic legacies of the 1970s, to the exhibitions opening in 2021, and into present day. The participating artists emerge as symbols of resistance through their creations which transform domesticity, sexuality, and labor into sites of inquiry all while grappling with the intersectional concerns of womanhood.  In a moment marked by political upheaval, the exhibition is particularly resonant in its exploration …

An Investigation Into The Scottsdale Art Week: Cultural Focus, Location, And Sustainability In An Already Saturated Environment, Sophia K. Meshel

MA Theses

This thesis examines the role of regional art fairs within the wider American art market and examines how these events contribute to the growth of local cultural artistic ecosystems. While firmly established international art fairs often dominate attention within the global market, lesser known regional fairs play an important role in connecting artists, galleries, collectors, and cultural platforms within specific communities. Through analysis of established regional fairs and consideration of factors such as artist selection, audience engagement, institutional partnerships, and economic impact, this study investigates how art fairs can move beyond temporary commercial events to become meaningful cultural platforms. Particular …

Echoes Of A Country In Question: Visualizing And Constructing Lebanese Identity Through Contemporary Artistic Practice At The Venice Biennale, Anoush Manoukian

MA Theses

Historically (and presently) riven by sectarianism, struggling with massively degraded infrastructure, and seething with starkly apparent class divisions, Lebanon has long been tied up with bloody postwar politics, paralyzed by innumerable crippling setbacks on its path to recovery. During war, images of conflict have been plastered across media stations, firming the country’s place in the global conversation and imagination; everyone had heard about Lebanon, and people from the art world were attracted to the work being produced in Beirut: a localized body of work that was thematically interesting, formally unique, aesthetically neoconceptual and allegorical in approach. Unresolved conflicts have long …

The Weight, Hammet Reavis

Theses and Dissertations

What follows drifts between out to under, argument to object, learned to unlearned, and then back again, for now. What remains is not erased, but held in tension - pressed forward by an unspoken weight. However, let's go on record and retrace this gesture, not by means of crossthru, but as underline.

El Estudio Del Arte Contemporáneo Cubano A Través De Cuatro Obras “Apócrifas”: Lo Apócrifo Como Estrategia De Producción De Distorsiones Entre La Realidad Y Lo Ficticio. Un Reporte De Investigación, Laura M. Garcés Ramírez, Jorge Prieto Terrones

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

Magela Garcés Ramírez's thesis, entitled Between Fiction and Reality. An Approach to the Apocryphal in Contemporary Cuban Art, is a research proposal consisting of four artists, whose common factor is that they discuss the limits of reality and its connection with fiction, with the intention of raising the next questions: What we are seeing?, Is it real?, Is it true?, Is it part of everyday life? The thesis proposes a division of categories to analyze the above: “remix,” “heteronym,” “historical object,” and “simulacrum product.” The document addresses the theorizations, methodologies, background, and selection criteria of artists, namely Jorge Rodríguez …

Vuelta Al Camino Del Buitre: La Obra Performativa De Gerardo Faustino Barba A La Luz De Nuevo Material De Archivo, Jorge Prieto Terrones

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

This article aims to expand the study and documentation of a work of art that was thought to exist only one photography. We refer specifically to an untitled artistic action carried out by Gerardo Faustino Barba (1960), an artist from Aguascalientes, who, together with Juan Castañeda (1942), an artist, cultural manager, and photographer from Aguascalientes, conceived the performance, which took place in various streets of the city of Aguascalientes in 1984. This image was shown to the public for the first time in 2014 by Castañeda, who posted it on Twitter (now X). This image was also the starting …

Star Wars: Andor – An Abolitionist Study Guide, Marcelo Garzo Montalvo, Isaac Ginsberg Miller

Feminist Pedagogy

This study guide provides a set of activities for teaching abolition through Season 1 of the speculative fiction TV series Star Wars: Andor (2022). Through the practice of critical literacy (viewing, reading, and analysis), we offer various ideas on how to engage Andor as a relevant pedagogical tool for studying and teaching abolitionist movement histories and methodologies. By guiding students through a critical analysis of this widely-circulated, mainstream cultural text, we seek to activate an abolitionist pedagogical lens that can be applied across various genres and media – making tangible connections between popular culture and political struggles writ large. These …