The notion of ?DIY Art? has also become inextricably linked with pop culture through the recent and ongoing fad for interior design (thanks in no small part to the BBC?s ?Changing Rooms? and countless other home makeover shows) to the extent of ?paint by numbers? canvasses being available to buy on the high street, emblazoned with various ?abstract? designs for the general public to color in. While some contemporary artists may explore this in their work (life imitating art imitating life), is there really any difference between what hangs in a living room and what hangs in a gallery ? or is the location itself the factor that decides what category it falls into?
Forgoing the argument that all film is art, an increased appreciation for films other than mainstream Hollywood fare is becoming evident within the British public ? with low budget, high concept indie productions finding a wider audience in mainstream cinemas and increased success on DVD. It seems that British moviegoers are craving something different from the norm ? and this makes it easier for the worlds of ?art? and ?pop? film to creep closer together. Indeed, the opening of FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) in Liverpool ? combining cutting-edge galleries and film and media facilities with a large cinema showing mainstream and underground film ? further promotes the desegregation of what can be classified ?art? or a ?movie?. Tate Modern is tackling the issue from other end, bringing film previously considered too mainstream (or ?pop?) for art into an official gallery event with regular screenings ? again blurring the boundaries between the two.
There does still exist a difference between Contemporary Art and pop culture: the fact that, to a greater or lesser extent, Art is still a representation of culture. Brazilian artist Eli Sudbaker, however, defies this notion, because his art simply IS popular culture. Practicing under the name Assume Vivid Astro Focus (or AVAF), he performs ?cultural cannibalism?³ - sampling images, words, video and music from all aspects of popular and underground culture ? including work by other artists and even earlier pieces of his own work ? creating an organic, multi-sensory and ever-changing piece. The work is added to, modified, or even vandalized by AVAF and other artists (be they ?fine? artists, musicians etc). Crucially, the viewing public actively participate in being part of the work itself ? by being invited to sing, perform, or do whatever they want in the space. AVAF?s work is not simply a representation of pop culture ? it is ALL culture brought together into (or out of) one space ? or even creating a space were there previously wasn?t one.
There is also another argument that states (if somewhat paradoxically) that there is no difference between art and pop culture: the notion that EVERYTHING is art. This has become increasingly established within the last 20 years, further evolving the ?readymade? concept into simply anything ? physical or not - created by man as a representation of culture, and therefore a work of art. It is therfore simultaneously both a representation of the culture (and so, ?Art?), and the culture itself (?art?).
These ideas can perhaps be best summed up with the infamous words by Ab Fab's Patsy Stone: ?But, is it ?ART?, Eddie?? .
In today?s contemporary pop culture, yes, it probably is.
