Notes on contemporary art
There is no single function of art. Art is everything that is regarded as art. If there was one function that is the most dominant, it is: create cultural "ancestors."
That said, art is in a constant self-definition process. I think the most cultural "ancestors" will be in art interpreted as the following:
I think the evolution of art is trending towards an "art is not aesthetic" direction. Currently, most art is preoccupied with digging into aesthetics. I see art as something not about aesthetics. Digging into aesthetics (even as a painter, conceptual, or video artist) is a lot closer to the world of design. "Art is not aesthetic" was dimly visible and perhaps most defined during the second avant-gardes (art of the '60s and '70s). Currently, it's mostly concentrated in post-art practices. (Epistemic status: Likely ~70%
What I mean? There is music, film, biology, physics, ethics, technology, philosophy, etc., and there is art (and within it there is music, film, biology, physics, ethics, technology, philosophy).
One of the core essences of art is understanding discourses — being an expert in them, creating discourses (think fauvism, cubism, constructivism), then redefining them, learning what the core is there, what the gravity of a movement is, what its essence is.
Examples: Artists are good at finding qualities across different disciplines. Artists are the best guides in the city.
I think discourse expertise is knowledge that can be applied to other disciplines. Epistemic status — Maybe ~50%
Art can create the possibility of not conforming to hierarchy structures. It makes sense to celebrate art for that. The role of the artist is to say the truth.
Art algorithm creates unapologetically (across conventions, against socially exerted pressures) knowledge interfaces with the highest bandwidth. This often means rewriting current systems (languages; standards; formal conventions of film, writing, guiding trips, meals, etc.). But not for the sake of "I want to be seen, loved; I want to be special and different" (this is high-volume, uninteresting art). But for the sake of creating better interfaces of knowledge, as every system breaks with scale.
[WIP Mental models art](https://www.pawel.world/WIP-4ab65038fb3e4adca9d7968fe637ebc7)