What defines contemporary art?

Contemporary art is defined by its relationship to the Zeitgeist

It is made by artists working now, but the artist being alive is not enough to fit into this category. The work also needs to respond to the world the artist is living in.

That response might involve identity, culture, technology, politics, gender, ecology, migration, belief, economics, artificial intelligence or the changing relationship between humans and systems. The subject matter varies because the present is not one single experience. Different artists live inside different pressures, histories, communities and questions.

This is what separates contemporary art from a simple date category. An artist could paint in a traditional style today and still not be making contemporary art. The work becomes contemporary when it engages with the concerns, materials, conditions or tensions present in the Zeitgeist.

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No visual definition

Unlike earlier art movements, contemporary art has no single visual language. It is not defined by one shared look.

The internet, globalisation and social media have created a wider field of voices, references and influences. Artists in different countries can address similar themes through completely different images, materials and forms.

This makes contemporary art harder to summarise visually, but more accurate to the world it reflects.

It is fragmented because the current era is fragmented. It is diverse because culture is diverse. It is difficult because the questions artists are dealing with are difficult.

A strong contemporary artwork does more than look good. It gives form to something being experienced, questioned or resisted now.

In David Roman’s work, this means exploring human value beyond measurement. His art uses the figurative elements, gold leaf and slow hand-crafted surfaces to respond to a culture where identity is deeply connected to productivity and measurable assets. The work is contemporary because the question at its centre are major concerns in today's world.