Context art

The term Context art (German: Kontextkunst) was introduced through the seminal exhibition and an accompanying publication Kontext Kunst.

The presentation displayed different approaches though all shared an interest in the use of methods of contextualization to reveal connections between the art works and their conditions of production, whether these were formal, social, or ideologically defined.

The aim of this social construction of art is to take part in the social construction of reality.”[2] It might be due to the fact that the term was introduced under the German translation KontextKunst instead of Context Art or its likewise politically tended orientation (see Maria Lind's reference[3]), but it never spread far beyond Europe's language based barriers.

The accompanying catalog is described to document ”a wide-ranging exhibition designed to illustrate the emergence over the past decade of a new international art movement, .. “ featuring “… an anthology of 22 substantial essays (some reprinted) discussing from diverse perspectives the artistic issues and social and political themes that distinguish Context Art from related forms of conceptual and installation art….

Fareed Armaly, Cosima von Bonin, Tom Burr, Clegg & Guttmann, Meg Cranston, Mark Dion, Peter Fend, Andrea Fraser, Inspection Medhermeneutics, Ronald Jones, Louise Lawler, Thomas Locher, Dorit Margreiter, Kasimir Malewitsch, Katrin von Maltzahn, Regina Möller, Reinhard Mucha, Christian Philipp Müller, Anton Olschwang, Hirsch Perlman, Dan Peterman, Adrian Piper, Mathias Poledna, Stephan Prina, Florian Pumhösl, Gerwald Rockenschaub, Julia Scher, Oliver Schwarz, Jason Simon, Rudolf Stingel, Lincoln Tobier, Olga Tschernyschewa, Christopher Williams, Peter Zimmermann, Heimo Zobernig [5]