D.1.1 Measure of Worthiness: The Values of Contemporary Art

Marie Leduc, Independent Scholar

Exhibitions, awards, and publications are some of the ways in which contemporary art is celebrated and publicly acknowledged. These activities tell us which objects and artists are to be appreciated and valued in the context of contemporary art. Each of these art-world activities – whether a museum exhibition, biennale, art fair, commercial gallery show, or art award – is also accompanied and supported by multiple discourses that introduce an artist and her work and explain their worthiness or value. The question that this paper explores is, what types of values serve as the measures of worth for contemporary art?

Theoretically the paper draws on Luc Boltanski and Laurent Thévenot’s studies of justification, Nathalie Heinich’s research on the valorization of modern and contemporary art, Michèle Lamont’s sociology of values, and my own research on the reception and valorization of contemporary art. From these I propose that our “cognitive frame” for art is shaped by values or measures of worthiness that guide us in our understanding of what is and is not contemporary art. To test this thesis, I examine five English texts – curatorial essays, reviews, and a feature article from 2015-2017 – written about the work of acclaimed performance artist, Anne Imhof. The analysis considers how each author supports the valorization of Imhof’s work by demonstrating its significance, originality, and authenticity. The analysis reveals how these three primary values are also supported by other aesthetic, social, and political values which, while not universal or enduring, indicate some of the key measures of worthiness that define contemporary art today.

D.1.2 The Pure Taste Indicator: A new reference model for the Art World

David Hinojosa Admann, Organization for the Democratization of Visual Arts

Studies, testimonies, open letters to museums, indicate that the current art world is undemocratic and unequal when it comes not only to museums and art galleries, but also art press, research and the art market. Recent events from Covid pandemic to black lives matter amplified the centralization of power in the hands of a few players, racial discrimination, gender bias, corruption, traffic of influence, all of which hold back museums from being inclusive equitable organizations and hinder the growth of the art world. This paper sheds light on the current challenges in the art word and reflects on the possibility of a new way to measure the value of art through the Pure Taste Indicator (PTI). The PTI is a new reference model for the art world, created by the Organization for the Democratization of Visual Arts (ODBK) in response to the current state of the art sector. This reference model is based on participatory economics, demarchy and referendums, allowing it to represent the taste and knowledge of a bigger number of art world participants composed of artists, art world professionals and art lovers. By dismantling the hierarchical power structures that characterized art for so long, the PTI mechanism can change how the art ecosystem functions and help the art world minimize inequality. This grass root initiative aims to help art institutions respond to the demand to be more inclusive, to support women artists and artists of color, and implicate a larger number of individuals in decisions pertaining to contemporary art. The PTI proposed by ODBK lets art transcend its monetary value, so that its value resides in its quality which is defined by all art world participants.