Fluxus — Reference or p Paradigm for Young Contemporary Artists?

Abstract

It is often said that Fluxus exerts profound influence on contemporary artists. This essay argues that Fluxus has done much more than this. This article argues that Fluxus has, in fact, established the general frame of contemporary art. Fluxus did this by reshaping the paradigm within which art is made in Thomas Kuhn's sense of the term paradigm. Rather than exerting a visible influence on artists, Fluxus forms the invisible background to much contemporary art. As a result, young artists are generally unaware of Fluxus and its achievements even though they create works that are strongly inspired by it. This article points to similarities and differences between the era in which Fluxus was born and the current moment. It examines the relationship of art and artist to audience, the mingling of art and life, cultural institutions and economic structures as key concepts in Fluxus work.