Interaction Art

Interaction Art

Interactive art refers to artwork that relies on the engagement and involvement of an observer.

Interactive art emerged in the late 1950s as artists sought to create more inclusive and welcoming spaces for their work. They began using everyday places like streets, warehouses, and shop fronts to display their art, making it more engaging and accessible.

These artists designed sculptures that people could touch and play with. For instance, Niki de Saint Phalle created the enormous Golem sculpture in Rabinovich Park, Jerusalem, which included a children's slide.

Interactive art also extends into the realm of computer-based art, where participants interact with technology arranged by the artist, as seen in the public works of Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. It's closely linked with the concept of relational aesthetics, emphasising the social and interactive aspects of art.


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Parra's studio, with Parra at the centre, his back to the camera as he works on the large painting takes centre stage, showing a faceless blue woman in a striped dress, painted in red, purple, blue and teal. The studio is full of brightly coloured paints, with a large window on the right and a patterned rug across the floor under the painting.