Dismissing Art

(EN) Negation, in its many shapes and forms, is an integral part of the history of twentieth-century art. If we look at the world through the dialectical logic of the ever-changing struggle between theses and antitheses, art too comes out as a result of the clash of two inseparable counterparts. Creation is destruction, just like destruction is creation. This diploma thesis tries to explore the broad topic of negation by defining two main interests, which are the topics of destruction and dropping out of the art scene. It sees both cases as a way of revolting against the position of the artist and art in the consumer society of the West. The text handles the phenomenon of destruction in art through multiple examples of artistic movements and the social context after the Second World War and especially during the 1960s, when many artists tried to work with the potential of destruction in art. In the final part devoted to leaving the artistic milieu, the possibility of simultaneously being and not being part of the world of art and the (im)possible future of art in times of climate crisis is explored with the help of the example of Slovak post-practice artist Radim Labuda. Key words: negation in art, destruction art, anti-art, dematerialisation, 20th century art, contemporary art, political art,..