87 Installation artworks often occupy an entire room or gallery space through which the spectator has to walk to engage with the work of art. Some installations, instead, have to be walked around and contemplated, or are so fragile that they can only be viewed from a distance. What makes installation art different from sculpture is that the focus is on how the viewer experiences the artwork. Search the net and find out what he had to do in order to be able to paint Mural. Stencils consist of sheets on which the image you want to reproduce is drawn; by cutting specific sections of the sheet, you can create a physical negative of the image: by placing it on the surface and applying spray paint or a roller, you can reproduce the initial subject. CONTEMPORARY TRENDS What is meant by contemporary art? Contemporary art is an evolving sphere that defies narrow categorisation. It encompasses a wide range of media, from traditional painting and sculpture to digital installations and performance art. The defining characteristic of contemporary art is its ability to adapt and respond to the changing contexts of our world, addressing pressing issues and reflecting the complexities of modern life. American avant-garde and Pollock and Rothko were the protagonists of Abstract expressionism, inspired by the Surrealist idea that art should come from the unconscious mind and represent profound emotions. The movement was characterised by two strains: Action painting (the artists worked in an improvised manner by dripping paint on the canvas) and Colour field (the artists filled the canvas with large areas of colour). Most of Rothko s works included rectangles, which were coloured depending on the message they were trying to imply, producing an image and giving the idea they were floating. The main exponents of Neo Dada were Rauschenberg and Johns. The latter drew inspiration from popular iconography such as maps and flags, whereas most of the former s works included discarded or found objects. Johns, Flag Pop Art (influenced by Neo Dada) emerged thanks to artists such as to defy: sfidare to drip: sgocciolare flurry: turbinio mesmerising: ipnotico 198 CreAtive ArtS Warhol, Marilyn Warhol, Lichtenstein, and Hockney (who, unlike the others, was British), who decided to include in their works imagery from mass culture, such as Hollywood films, advertising, product packaging, and comic books. Warhol, for example, represented repeated images, insipid and dehumanised cultural icons to reflect the emptiness of the American materialistic culture. beyond Today s art is marked by the following artists. Banksy, an anonymous British graffiti artist known for anti-authoritarian art often done in public places, is famous for his stenciled street art , but over the years he has included installations and performances. Banksy s art often appears unexpectedly, causing a flurry of media attention. Hirst has experimented with painting, sculpture, graphics, and installations. Some of his most iconic works include the Pills, large paintings in the shape of pharmaceutical pills, and the Spin Paintings, made by bubbling paint onto canvas while it spins on a centrifuge. Renowned for his works featuring vivid colours and pop culture references, Koons challenges conventional notions of art by creating pieces using everyday objects. Dubbed the princess of polka dots , Kusama produces various art pieces such as sculptures, paintings, and installations with mesmerising dots.