“Art is dead! Art is dead!”
We killed him!
We are all his murderers!”

Philosophical reflections on the definition, role, and direction of art

Author Wonjae Park, who founded the One & J Gallery in 2005 and has introduced talented Korean artists to the world stage, declares in this book that “art is dead.”
Why does the man who led the only Asian gallery to win the Baloise Prize at Art Basel, the world's premier art fair, in 2018 say art is dead? The author diagnoses that contemporary art has become swayed by capitalism and goal-oriented thinking, disconnected from our lives.
Art museums have become graveyards that separate art from its contemporaneity, and in the digital age, NFTs have reduced art to an object of ownership.
However, the author emphasizes that art is originally an act of exploring the essence of life through the human body and senses, and that art must return to life.

This book traces the historical evolution of art and analyzes how capitalism and technology have hollowed out art.
Art has long been closely linked to the lives of the masses, as seen in the Lascaux cave paintings, Shakespearean public performances, and Renaissance works, but modern art has become the preserve of a select few.
However, the essence of art still lies in the creator's senses and the audience's experience.
This book goes beyond a philosophical discussion of art, presenting examples of contemporary artists such as Marina Abramović, Antoni Gormley, Olafur Eliasson, Ai Weiwei, Alighiero Boetti, Tracey Emin, and Rukritt Tirawanit, and suggesting specific ways for art to return to life.
You will feel that art can go beyond personal creation and become a platform for social connection and healing.

Art that enters an art museum no longer moves.
There, art becomes separate from the lives of its viewers and transforms into an untouchable relic.
This is contrary to the essence of art.
Art was originally born in the midst of life, consumed there, stimulating emotions and triggering thoughts.
However, art that enters an art museum stops this process and becomes a ‘record.’
--- p.22

The commercialization of art became fully systematized during the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries.
As capitalism matured, the art market was structurally formed.
The rise of the middle class increased the demand for art, and with the emergence of galleries and auction houses, art became an object of private ownership.
The founding of Christie's auction house in 1766 is symbolic of this trend.
The irony that a genius like Vincent van Gogh in the late 19th century did not sell a single piece during his lifetime, yet his works were sold for billions after his death, shows that art was beginning to be swayed by the logic of the market.
--- p.41~43

The artist is here, presented at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2010, is the pinnacle of sensory recovery.
For three months, Abramović sat at a table for more than seven hours every day, making eye contact with each audience member.
They were connected only through silence and gaze, without words or gestures.
This simple act evoked a deep emotional response.
Some audience members shed tears, some smiled, and others recalled long-buried memories.
One audience member said, “I saw the faces of my family in her eyes I had forgotten,” while another said, “In the silence, I heard my own heartbeat for the first time.”
--- p.88~89

The ancient world suppressed the body as a source of sin and desire, while the Middle Ages completely subjugated the body before the will of God.
Modernity has made humans the subject, but paradoxically, it has strengthened the domination of the mind rather than the liberation of the body.
The rational-centered view of humanity assumes that everyone has the same rationality and erases the need for ‘difference.’
This has led to humans developing the illusion of being a 'universal being', which has ultimately led to egocentrism, where the world is judged based on oneself.
Ultimately, it created the myth of self-complete beings rather than living together.
--- p.106

Art has also been a means for us to live together, despite our intense individuality.
Through art, we empathize and strengthen the communal nature of life.
As individualism becomes rampant in modern society, we become increasingly isolated and unable to understand one another. Art is the most powerful tool we can use to open a space of empathy and reestablish ourselves as a community.
--- p.116

Frida Kahlo's masterpiece, "The Two Fridas," is a work that symbolically expresses her dual identity.
This painting, which shows Frida in traditional Mexican dress and Frida in European dress holding hands, expresses her multicultural background and the conflicts of her identity.
However, this work does not simply reveal conflict; it suggests that these identities can coexist, emphasizing the possibility of diversity.
Through her work, Frida opened a new chapter in embracing diverse identities and voices beyond the confines of standardized art.
--- p.133

The greatest advantage of social media is that it lowers the threshold for creation and democratizes art.
In the past, one had to overcome institutional barriers such as galleries, museums, and curators to be recognized as an artist.
But now, you can showcase your work to the world with just one photo or a short video.
This opens up opportunities, especially for creators who have been marginalized from the mainstream art world.
--- p.151

If photography gave birth to Picasso and Van Gogh, what kind of artists will AI create? I believe AI isn't simply a tool that replaces art, but rather a catalyst for rethinking the very essence of art.
If photography has made artists ask, “What is truth?”, AI asks, “What is humanity beyond machines?”
For example, even if an AI-generated image boasts perfect composition, can it truly capture human suffering, hope, or contradiction? --- p.170

A work of art is the trace of the artist's self-imposed collision with the world, and it is evidence of his emotions, bodily memories, and existence.
We must not just 'see' it with our eyes, but 'enter' into it.
It's an experience.
If appreciation is an act of maintaining a certain distance, then experience is breaking down that distance and going inward.
In it, I meet the writer, look back at myself, and think again about our existence.
--- p.230

Tom Sachs' collaboration with Nike created an unprecedented case where "art can become sneakers."
His work does not simply remain within the framework of ‘collaboration with brands.’
Rather, he established a new aesthetic politics by clashing his DIY aesthetic and critique of consumer culture with the popular system called Nike.
His studio functions like a factory, with shoes becoming objects of experimentation and a medium for critique.
This collaboration goes beyond the question of “Can art become a commodity?” to ask “How can a commodity become art?”
The moment consumers purchase shoes, they experience the experience of 'walking on a work of art,' which creates an opportunity to transform everyday consumption into an artistic practice.

--- p.251