WHAT IS COLLECTIVE ART? - ART - 2025

The collective art is an alliance between two or more artists who share ideologies and viewpoints, working on their own to achieve common goals; These objectives may vary according to the intentions of expression.

A characteristic of collective art groups is that in many cases they can be interconnected in an outlined aesthetic language. In other words, although it is understood that there were contributions from different authors in the collective work, the final result seems to indicate that the whole set was made by the same creator; in some works it can be almost impossible to differentiate the individual part of each artist.

Guerrilla Girls, an example of collective art

The collective creation handles a broad methodology that will be proposed by the group of artists depending on their relationship, motivations and objectives.

Just as previous conceptualization agreements may arise to obtain a unity impact on the work carried out, it is also possible to establish clearly free, spontaneous and immediate processes that keep the work open to new interventions without having a defined outline or limits.

Some groups of artists may even live and work together, sharing the benefits of their productions, property rights and also the risks that some proposals may entail in terms of security, legality and public opinion.

Collective art through artists

Artists' collectives are gathered around their political, economic, and social opinions; aesthetic and ideological where the transmission of thoughts and values ​​is sought through the support and promotion of a work to achieve common ends.

A clear example of art collectives was the emergence of rap groups that for decades have created a whole cultural movement in the world making clear their points of view, social nonconformity, rescue of values, awakening of conscience and more.

In this way, the musical and rational work of rap groups gave life to subcultures such as hip hop that added other forms such as breaking (dance) and graffiti.

Specific or mixed disciplines

Collective art can be executed under specific or mixed disciplines, ranging from music, the performing arts such as dance or acting, performance, painting in all its forms, photography, audiovisual arts, sculpture, literature in the poetry or prose, installation, design, architecture, fashion, among others.

Motivators

Some collective art motivators do not necessarily tend to be purposeful or organized goals with structured ambitions.

The groups that are organized to create a work are not always permanent or continuous, since the motivators can be simply to carry out a joint work to share between artists, reduce production and promotion costs, share spaces or materials, among other initiatives.

Integration in art collectives provides artists with growth in the debate of ideas, the adoption of different approaches, the development of a group intelligence generated by the combination of various artistic perspectives and disciplines that enrich individual and creative creative capacities. equipment.

Origin

Collective art groups, as they are known today, emerged in the 1970s as a social movement in a historical period hit by terrorist and nuclear threats, the social division in opposition to or in favor of the extreme right discourses of the epoch.

This led to an alternative of liberal thought and attitude, of protest and artistic expressions without gag, breaking all conventions.

These movements became basic pillars for the development of the creative scene, producing a succession of highly influential artistic groups with enormous creative capacity that sought experiences to break the stereotypes of society, criticism and art institutions. governed under their own direction.

Some influential artistic collectives

Art collectives have played a crucial role in the history of art in recent times, due to their variety and multiple alliances that can range from a couple of artists to a number that could exceed a hundred and even reach thousands of artists involved in a project. artwork or art event.

Collective movements allow a certain anonymity that unleashes different risks and challenges, carrying out projects of great ambition that break the limitations that a solo artist may encounter.

The formation of groups has occurred when their intervention has been necessary in response to particular situations of the political-social reality of a certain place, generating social movements of impact and awareness.

Some art collectives that can be named for setting trends in recent decades and that gave rise to new initiatives are:

Guerrilla Girls

This anonymous collective led by feminist artists was founded in 1985, and has lived up to its name for using guerilla art strategies to propel the women's art movement.

The group often wears gorilla masks, fishnet stockings and miniskirts, iconic symbols of their movement and communications.

They state that no person, not even their families or partners, know their identities, refusing to confess the total number of women that make up their team; It is believed that it was made up of some 20 or 30 artists. Their proposals are based on actions, posters and billboards.

Gelitin

This collective is made up of 4 Austrian artists who met in 1978 and who began to make themselves noticed thanks to their hard work in the early 90s.

Until 2005 they kept the name Gelatin (gelatin), to later change to Gelitin. Her proposal is based on large-scale actions, installations and interventions of spaces that differ from each other in scale and ambition. They are characterized by being subversive and tend to involve the public in their actions.

A sample of their work is the work Zap of Pipi (2005) in which they created a giant icicle with frozen urine samples from visitors to the Moscow Biennale.

One of Gelitin's best-known works is Hase, a 55-meter pink rabbit installed on a hill in Tuscany, Italy, which will remain on site until 2025.

Archigram

It was an avant-garde architecture group established in the 1960s that focused on a futuristic, pro-communist, anti-hero and highly technology-inspired proposal.

The group explored space capsules, images of mass consumption, survival, offering a seductive perspective on the future of machines in which social and environmental issues were omitted, transforming reality into their own language.

His works served as inspiration for other artists and technology projects. One of his best-known works is La Ciudad Caminante (1964), which consisted of giant living elements that resembled a mixture between machines and insects that could move through cities, behind all a situational foundation.

Fluxus

It is an artistic movement recognized for the mixture of disciplines such as audiovisual art, literature and music.

It was directed by George Maciunas and his friend Almus Salcius, as well as collaborators such as Joseph Beuys, Dick Higgins, Nam June Paik, and Yoko Ono who investigated performing art, poetry, and experimental music. One of the most famous works of this group are "Event Scores" and "Happenings".

References

1. Jacqueline Clyde. Artist Collectives Working. (2015). Source: widewalls.ch.
2. A look at the art scene's leading collectives: modernedition.com.
3. A Loose History of Art Collectives: socialart.com.
4. Alan Moore. General introduction to collective work in modern art. (2005). Recovered from: liminar.com.ar.
5. Armi Lee. Collective art from the viewer's perspective. Recovered from: artfacts.net.