Abstract
This research explores the problematic aspects of identity construction that are perpetuated within social institutions and mass media in the United States and the way in which contemporary artists are working to challenge these ideas. The impact of social institutions and mass media are considered to be more influential on an individual’s concept of identity in the contemporary age due to increased access to technology and information. It is argued that by mimicking vehicles for social construction, contemporary artists are able to draw attention to methods of identity construction and critique the stereotypical and negative ways American mass media and social institutions categorize individual and group identities. Through an examination of several contemporary artists, the manner in which this is done is made explicit. This type of exploration into social construction in contemporary art allows for artists to participate in and challenge the contemporary social construction of identity. The author further explores how this manifestation of social commentary takes place in their own work through mimicking and satirizing contemporary methods of social construction via collage and painting.
How to Cite
Darnell, M., (2019) “The Role of Contemporary Art in Dismantling Problematic Social Construction”, Capstone, The UNC Asheville Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship 32(1).
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