2024-04-25
Humor, which is a phenomenon known primarily from everyday life, is an element often present in contemporary art. However, the ability to present an issue in a work of art in a humorous way does not make artists comedians, but rather creative, insightful observers of reality or philosophical non-conformists. Works of art that are "tongue-in-cheek" often hide existential reflections of their authors under their apparent layer of trivial comedy.
A sense of humor, although it obviously depends on our individual beliefs and sensitivity, can make us find a thread of understanding with others, based on shared feelings. Reflections of individual viewers on the work of art, depending on the interpretation, support or deny the assumptions of the artist, shaping the overall public opinion, which is a sort of oracle.
Satirical or humorous works of art can also be controversial, arousing a range of different emotions in supporters and opponents of "humorous" art. Many consider them unworthy of the name of art, as they go beyond the sphere of solemnity and sublimity, boldly breaking conventions. This does not mean, however, that the humor in a work of art deprives it of its essential meaning; on the contrary, a joke often allows for the extraction of new meanings or the reformulation of values and opinions. Below we present three contemporary art installations that, although seemingly trivial, carry an important message.
(1) "Pastry Case" (1961) – Claes Oldenburg
Oldenburg's installation is an example of pop-art sculpture. Artificial models of dishes characteristic of American fast food culture are unappetizingly displayed in a glass window. The comedy of the work stems from the unnatural scale of the food and the materials used to create the installation. The whole thing is tacky, which disrupts artistic conventions. The artist comments in a funny way on the issue of mass production and consumerism of the 1960s in the USA. He encourages reflection on the difference between mass and high culture, ridiculing his own experiences in which he sees paradoxes of culture.
(2) "Pauline Bunny" (1997) – Sarah Lucas
A soft, headless sculpture with phallic shapes made of stuffed pantyhose is a representation of "Buny Girl" by the British conceptual artist. Lucas satirically comments on the sexualization and fetishization of the female body. She invites the viewer to an artistic game full of ambiguous symbols, which plays with form and teaches with content. The artist uses her irreverent humor to criticize directly, through visual stimuli, the stereotypes and gender associations present in society.
(3) Bidibidobidiboo (1996) – Maurizio Cattelan
Polish viewers associate Catellan mainly due to the scandal caused by his "Ninth Hour" from 1999. Internationally, the Italian artist is known for his shocking works, in which he mocks the artificiality and seriousness of reality, creating installations bordering on the absurd. In "Bidibidobidiboo," Catellan places a stuffed squirrel in a miniature space from everyday life, suggesting that the animal has just committed suicide. The anthropomorphic scene may amuse with its surrealism, but at the same time it contains deep reflections on morality and the essence of life.