Mystery, the Macabre, & Suspense in Contemporary Art

Michael Hanna
May 1
5 min read

artwork by Richard Gibson

Action and reaction in contemporary art does not always need to be literal. If one were to read many established and emerging critical publications on art, the consensus amongst these writers could be described as ‘politics is king’. Not to name any names, but there remains a growing consensus amongst art writers of solely elevating art steeped in social and identity politics. The reason such action is counter-productive would be because not only can such analysis be a disinterest to a broad swathe of audiences outside these ideologies, but also because the greatest art tends to be the most indirect, mysterious, suspenseful, dramatic, and metaphorical to the times reflected. A work of art does not become great or relevant simply because of addressing the issue of ‘X’, ‘Y’, or ‘Z’, as many art historians would have you believe, but rather through the intricate nuance of capturing and sustaining the essence and poetry of the relevant subject matter. Art should be regarded as poetic and philosophical, rather than ideologically driven. William Shakespeare remains great because of the depth of his descriptive language rather than any specific sociological applications. In fact, the visual arts could learn a lot from theatre productions in regard to how the actor breathes genuine spirit into a role or how a production writer uses language in a way to insert the characters into the audience’s emotions and psyche.

artwork by Burak Bulut Yildirim

There are two schools of misguided thought of the current 2020’s decade, the ‘techno-crats’ or ‘tech-bros’ who believe any relevant art should be as technological as possible and should especially incorporate artificial intelligence. Then there are the academic individuals and segments of the establishment who highlight art which resembles rhetoric of certain political parties. Thankfully, both of these schools of thought have been largely sidelined by a majority of galleries and art fairs, mainly driven by the fact most collectors, even those interested in the avant-garde, do not want to indulge themselves in ideologically-driven art. However, these are not the only two schools of thought which may cause concern, there are also the traditionalists and non-objective purists. People afraid of any sort of genuine experimentation in the visual arts and those who are Clement Greenberg enthusiasts who feel art should be nothing more than raw expressions of surface and material. The purpose of the article remains not to pass judgement on other people’s tastes but rather to reveal the various factions vying for control of the overall narrative in the contemporary artworld. As a reminder, there remains a deeper purpose to art beyond messaging or technique. Through the nuance of drama, the mysterious, suspenseful, and even the macabre, the visual artist can express our times by revealing the psychological, rather than the sociological, implications of living in contemporary society.

artwork by Lisa Rommé

We could describe two types of curators; the ones looking for an element in art which they have never seen before, and then there are those who are looking for art which fits a particular formula or message (hence the overwhelming prevalence of themed group exhibitions). Every curator and art writer has a particular bias, however what could be regarded as productive would be to provide the audience with work which has them realize a subject or element in a way they have rarely or never considered before. Subject matter becomes repeated often, some subjects and emotions could be described as more relevant than others, however the great artist directs the audience to question observations of a motif in an unfamiliar or unique manner.

artwork by Reanna Emanouel

Examples of artists who exemplify the mysterious, macabre, and suspense in contemporary art would be Richard Gibson, Burak Bulut Yildirim, Lisa Rommé, Reanna Emanouel, Maria Oliveira, and Mike Edwards. These particular artists instill a sense of drama and atmosphere into their portrayals of form and subject, like waking up to the morning dew finding yourself on a landscape full of fog and sfumato. Richard Gibson photographs a multitude of subject matter but his capturing of dripping wax compositions resemble otherworldly environments full of mystery and with alien attributes. Burak Bulut Yildrim remains a photographer engaged with a heightened sense of eroticism, some of his depictions are sensual while others are blatantly hyper-sexualized and risqué such as portraying nudes frolicking on an open public street or women glorifying violence in innuendos with pistols. Lisa Rommé is an olfactory installation artist who creates scents and shrines to ancient titans who also collects and grows fungus to resemble an abstract two-dimensional surface. Maria Oliveira engages in self-portrait photography and digitally alters the environment in Photoshop to seem like a dream or a scene from the apocalypse. And Mike Edwards recreates forms of lightning bolts and skulls with splatters of paints and punk rock counter-culture aesthetic.

artwork by Maria Oliveira

These artists go beyond ideology and penetrate a sense of theatrics into their works which convey a deeper language to their audiences. Like William Shakespeare, they recreate the great drama of theatre production through metaphor, symbolism, and descriptive undertaking which translates subjects to have an alternative purpose through unfamiliar methods of visual communication. Although documentative approaches, such as in the travel photography of Clive Frost and the analogue aquatic photography of Katharine Kollman, can equally strike an impact through representations of rarely seen interactions with seldom-explored environments.

artwork by Lisa Rommé

If the first three paragraphs of this philosophical essay offended you and you have read thus far, you should note how engaging critical writing on art should have you questioning your value system in the spirit of post-structuralist theory. In essence, deconstructing and restructuring systems of thought and belief can have us reevaluate our sense of goals and direction in image-making and purpose of contemporary art. However, if you found yourself agreeing with the article, you may find there remains a deeper function to contemporary art beyond surface dialogue on the certain issues which matter almost exclusively to academia, a political party, institutions, or members of the establishment.

artwork by Burak Bulut Yildirim

Does art need to be political? Some say yes, others say no, but perhaps the better answer would be to what purpose? There remains more to purpose-driven art than just appealing to a virtue, we can visit the means of expression to convey a conceptual approach which has us reinterpret our value system, rather than just reinforce such notions. An artist such as Chris Horner uses his skills to make an appeal of high art to the working class, not by dulling his message, creating kitsch, or commercializing his work, but rather through his choice of conceptual materials; using used cement bags by his father working in the construction trades and hardening them with resin, paraffin wax and glazing the bags with paint and varnish, all of which leaves a glass-like effect.

artwork by Maria Oliveira

If we look beyond our immediate interests and seek ways to communicate with our audience, much like how an actor engages their viewers or how a writer holds our attention with witty commentary, we can discover a deeper purpose to art beyond veneer and just straight storytelling or moral lecturing. Many great works of art contain a narrative, however, how the artist retrofits their vision to persuade and influence the audience rather than lecture or ideologically intimidate them could be regarded as having a more engaging and meaningful impact to how the viewer reflects on contemporary identity and the age we live in.