--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we talk about contemporary art and…" description: "\"When we talk about contemporary art and contemporary artists, we usually imagine artists who are alive. But I feel very uncomfortable about placing a b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/yasumasa-morimura-27200_alive_when-we-talk-about-contemporary-art-and_36804.jpg" --- # When we talk about contemporary art and contemporary… ![“When we talk about contemporary art and contemporary artists, we usually imagine artists who are alive. But I feel very uncomfortable about placing a border between living artists and dead artists.” quote by Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/yasumasa-morimura-27200_alive_when-we-talk-about-contemporary-art-and_36804.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/yasumasa-morimura-27200_alive_when-we-talk-about-contemporary-art-and_36804.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/yasumasa-morimura-27200_alive_when-we-talk-about-contemporary-art-and_36804.jpg) > “When we talk about contemporary art and contemporary artists, we usually imagine artists who are alive. But I feel very uncomfortable about placing a border between living artists and dead artists.” [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker challenges the binary view that contemporary art belongs only to living creators, urging recognition that artistic relevance transcends mortality. **In simple terms:** Artistic relevance isn’t limited to the living. Key Takeaway Border between living and dead artists is artificial. Themes art theory temporal boundaries cultural memory authorship legacy Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - curating exhibitions - art education - critical essays - museum acquisitions Key Concepts contemporary art artist identity historical continuity Practical Applications - redefining exhibition criteria - expanding curricula Questions to Reflect On - How does mortality affect artistic influence? - What criteria should define 'contemporary'? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) [Contemporary art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary-art/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Uncomfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncomfortable/) ## Related quotes > [The artists could be dead, but some of them are not so distant from us, and make us feel as if they are alive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/the-artists-could-be-dead-but-some-of-them-are-not-so-distant-from-us/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [Few contemporary artists mined the space between the ordinary and the strange better than Orozco did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/few-contemporary-artists-mined-the-space-between-the-ordinary-and-the/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Leonard de Vinci, for example, is a great artist, but he is living in the past. However, I don't feel John Cage and Matsuzawa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/leonard-de-vinci-for-example-is-a-great-artist-but-he-is-living-in/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [Pipilotti Rist is a Swiss video artist I learned about pretty early on. She's one of the first contemporary artists I knew about and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-syms/pipilotti-rist-is-a-swiss-video-artist-i-learned-about-pretty-early/) [Martine Syms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-syms/) > [I've never been at odds with the world of contemporary artists. If there is any animosity, it's one-sided.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/i-ve-never-been-at-odds-with-the-world-of-contemporary-artists-if/) [Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/) > [The artistic formulae wear thin quickly and yet daily the artist - when developing his own foundation - must enter his own time and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asger-jorn/the-artistic-formulae-wear-thin-quickly-and-yet-daily-the-artist-when/) [Asger Jorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asger-jorn/) > [Most contemporary artists are behind the bubble in time. They're making videos that are so incredibly boring compared to a good movie. Or they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-katz/most-contemporary-artists-are-behind-the-bubble-in-time-they-re/) [Alex Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-katz/) > [All great contemporary artists, schooled or not, are essentially self-taught and are de-skilling like crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/all-great-contemporary-artists-schooled-or-not-are-essentially-self/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [The number of contemporary artists who appeal to me is infinitesimal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-lowe/the-number-of-contemporary-artists-who-appeal-to-me-is-infinitesimal/) [Nick Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-lowe/) > [“A great many contemporary artists from hugely diverse backgrounds are currently approaching the prospect of cultural mixing...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-great-many-contemporary-artists-from-hugely-diverse-backgrounds-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some comic artists I've known are better than most contemporary artists with work hanging in Tate Modern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hewlett/some-comic-artists-i-ve-known-are-better-than-most-contemporary/) [Jamie Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hewlett/) > [“Many people are dead inside which is why they crave the living artists creative truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/many-people-are-dead-inside-which-is-why-they-crave-the-living/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [Among living artists, George Condo may be the most embraced by the powers that be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/among-living-artists-george-condo-may-be-the-most-embraced-by-the/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [“Most important of all would be involving artists in shaping the future of the museum. I wanted to have a direct relationship with living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-tucker/most-important-of-all-would-be-involving-artists-in-shaping-the/) [Marcia Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-tucker/) > [Museums are for dead artists. I'd never show my work in the Tate. You'd never get me in that place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-hirst/museums-are-for-dead-artists-i-d-never-show-my-work-in-the-tate-you-d/) [Damien Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-hirst/) ## More by Yasumasa Morimura > [Even Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci were entertainers. In that way, I am an entertainer and want to make art that is fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/even-michelangelo-and-leonardo-da-vinci-were-entertainers-in-that-way/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [ I planned the exhibition so that it becomes a story where the viewer travels through these islands \[of ideas\]. Whether the contents of each… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/i-planned-the-exhibition-so-that-it-becomes-a-story-where-the-viewer/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [I have always thought that it would be nice to not complete the exhibition in one place and close off the others as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/i-have-always-thought-that-it-would-be-nice-to-not-complete-the/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury raised cautions against mass media, especially the television, which dumb down human sensibilities and coerce everybody's thoughts into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/in-fahrenheit-451-ray-bradbury-raised-cautions-against-mass-media/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [The artists could be dead, but some of them are not so distant from us, and make us feel as if they are alive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/the-artists-could-be-dead-but-some-of-them-are-not-so-distant-from-us/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [Of course, the process of curating is different from art making. Exhibition-making is a process that involves collaboration with various participating artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/of-course-the-process-of-curating-is-different-from-art-making/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [Of course, I, like the sponsoring government, would like to have as many people as possible visit Yokohama Triennale. This is because I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/of-course-i-like-the-sponsoring-government-would-like-to-have-as-many/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [To think about "oblivion" is to think about "what art is".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/to-think-about-oblivion-is-to-think-about-what-art-is/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [I was worried that I, the artist Morimura, would have conflicts with the participating artists and develop a strenuous relationship with them. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/i-was-worried-that-i-the-artist-morimura-would-have-conflicts-with/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > ["Triennale in the City" is a scheme that is of priority for the sponsoring local government. For many local governments, revitalization is an important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/triennale-in-the-city-is-a-scheme-that-is-of-priority-for-the/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [I put priority on such artists who focus on the world of "oblivion" and who consider placing themselves into the world of "oblivion" as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/i-put-priority-on-such-artists-who-focus-on-the-world-of-oblivion-and/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [Art is basically entertainment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/art-is-basically-entertainment/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > ["Art is the ability to turn one's gaze to the world of oblivion." This is the way in which I understand art at fundamental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/art-is-the-ability-to-turn-one-s-gaze-to-the-world-of-oblivion-this/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [By putting a border line between life and death, we separate the world of death from our world of life, casting the dead away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/by-putting-a-border-line-between-life-and-death-we-separate-the-world/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [Leonard de Vinci, for example, is a great artist, but he is living in the past. However, I don't feel John Cage and Matsuzawa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/leonard-de-vinci-for-example-is-a-great-artist-but-he-is-living-in/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) [Explore all 21 Yasumasa Morimura quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When we talk about contemporary art and contemporary artists, we usually imagine artists who are alive. 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