Social Turn and Operative Realism: Two Emancipatory Methods of Contemporary Art Practices

Abstract

The paper is a result of the research that focuses on two occurrences in contemporary art – the social turn, described by Claire Bishop and operative realism, defined by Nicolas Bourriaud. As the research puts a special focus on educational and emancipatory aspects of contemporary art, it depicts, as study cases, two recent installations by contemporary female artists Teresa Margolles and Vahida Ramujkić, where the author notices the presence of both the social turn and operative realism. In the introductory part of the paper, the author defines the applied research methodology and gives more information about the artistic practices of the selected two artists. The next chapter presents educational aspects of contemporary art practices and arts-based research, following the arguments and studies by William Condee, Graeme Sullivan, Danielle Boutet, Beatriz da Costa, Kavita Philip and others. In the central part of the paper, the author gives a descriptive analysis of the two selected installations, emphasising their relational, emancipatory, and educational aspects, and further concluding that the social turn and operative realism are educational and emancipatory precisely because they initiate dialogue, association, empathy and connection between different communities and individuals.