Art and time: temporary public art and contentious space

Unrestricted Our society is always changing, always evolving and temporary public art can work hand-in-hand with the idea of an ever-changing society. Art critic Patricia Phillips has written about ephemeral works and their advantages for public art, which provides an noteworthy way to critically look at this type of art. With these ideas in mind, this thesis attempts to investigate and answer questions by analyzing Michael Asher's 'George Washington' (2005) and Creative Time's 'Freedom of Expression National Monument' (2004): Do the works discussed create contentious space? Do these ephemeral public artworks create social exchanges and public dialogue past the end of the project? Do these temporary public artworks create more of an impact on some issues than a permanent piece can? Should temporary public art occupy a portion of today's art landscape?