“I could make that.”
An automatic reaction heard in every gallery when viewers are confronted with modern art that defies their expectations.
It could be a pile of bricks, a canvas of splattered paint or random objects stacked high in the middle of an empty room. It’s easy to dismiss these works as pretentious or nonsensical, to assume that they’re only credited with being art because they’ve been placed in a prestigious institution.
This common response, however, misses a crucial point: modern art often challenges more than just aesthetic sensibilities. It not only confronts the elitism of the art world, but also can be a tool to challenge systems of power, commerce, and authority.
To understand modern art’s significance, an understanding of art’s history,
and the elitism that it was for so long grounded in, is essential. For centuries, western art prioritised technique and realism. The narrative of art history was a narrative of progress—a movement from religious icons to romantic landscapes, from still life to incredible realism.
Yet still, royal portraits and religious iconography continued to dominate. Even still, some of the most celebrated historical works of art seen in galleries are old commissions given by wealthy people.
The early 20th century saw a radical shift. Movements like Dadaism, Futurism, and later Abstract Expressionism broke with the past in ways that weren’t just artistic but also ideological.
Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain (1917) is a porcelain urinal signed “R. Mutt.” When it was placed in a gallery many considered it a mockery. How could something so mundane, so boring, be art?
Duchamp forced gallery-goers to rethink their definitions of art.
By putting a urinal sculpture in a gallery, he made a bold statement: art is not just about technical skill, but about context and intention. Duchamp’s piece wasn’t meant to be a joke; it was a provocation—an invitation to challenge the elitism around art.
Since Duchamp, modern art has evolved and continues to be a tool for questioning authority and power.
Banksy is a modern artist most are familiar with; his subversive graffiti has appeared in cities around the world and sells for millions. He uses simple imagery—rats, police officers, children with balloons—to make piercing political statements about capitalism, war, and inequality.
Banksy’s works, much like Duchamp’s Fountain, often look deceptively simple. A stencil image of a rat, for example, seems to lack any artistic prowess.
Why then is he considered to be one of the greatest artists of our time? Context.
Banksy’s art is far from superficial. It might not have incredible detail, or realism, or an obvious meaning. Far from it. But, it can prompt viewers to reckon with the issues it infers.
In a similar vein, the balloon-sculpture work of American modern artist Jeff Koons teases the line between art and mass consumer culture.
His work is often criticised for being “too easy” and a mere reflection of the kitsch objects that populate shopping malls. But he isn’t interested in creating something “authentic” or “serious” in the traditional sense. His works are self-aware; they deliberately embrace commercial culture and the commodification of art itself.
Like much modern art, Koons critiques the very systems of art and its elitism.
The “I could make that” reaction is revealing in that it displays the discomfort many people feel when confronted with art that challenges norms and preconceptions.
In a world where we are fed images that fit precisely into familiar categories, modern art refuses to conform. It presents us with works that are often ambiguous and open-ended.
This discomfort is precisely what makes modern art so significant.
Modern art is not just about pieces that are visually pleasing; it’s about representing our world, or expressing views, in ways not done before. Artists like Bansky force viewers to reflect politically and socially, or artists like Koons produces doubt on art itself.
The art world is a system that often privileges certain voices, certain institutions, and certain forms of expression. Modern artists, by creating works that challenge these norms, force us to confront these power structures head-on.
The rise of conceptual art in the 20th century is a case in point. Art that is not about creating something aesthetically pleasing, but about making a statement, can often be difficult to engage with. Many viewers are conditioned to expect art to be beautiful or extremely technical. When that expectation is not met and the work doesn’t adhere to these familiar categories, it is easy to dismiss it as trivial or unworthy of attention – ‘I could do that.’
But the value of modern art lies precisely in its ability to provoke thought and conversation.
In a world that often favours the status quo, modern art forces us to consider alternatives, to question the structures that shape our lives.
So, the next time you stand in front of a pile of bricks, a defaced billboard, or a random object in a gallery and mutter, “I could make that,” ask yourself why you haven’t. Modern art is a mirror to society, a tool for questioning what we’re used to. It may be uncomfortable, even alienating, but in that discomfort lies the opportunity to rethink and reconsider.
