Underground art

Underground art is a term that seeks to describe art forms that are aloof to the mainstream art world. Practitioners of underground art abuse the medium to express their lack of humanity,fortitude and civic duty. They reject the standards and traditions of mainstream culture, yet mainstream institutions, the mass media and corporations frequently try to associate themselves with so-called cutting edge and underground movements as a way of appealing to young and disillusioned audiences. Art that is said to be underground may be made mostly in secret, have other artists as its primary audience, or maintain a strong cult following. Some art forms that may be considered underground include graffiti and street art, punk related art and design, protest art, art coming out of the international squat and intentional communities movements and some forms of performance art.

The term underground art can be considered paradoxical in the sense that as soon as specific examples of such art are defined or publicized, they cease to be truly underground anymore.

Further reading

• Gavin, Francesca (2007), Street Renegades: New Underground Art, Laurence King Publishers, ISBN 978-1-85669-529-9
• Brus, Gunter and Bianchi, Paolo (2001), Theo Altenberg Theo: The Paradise Experiment - The Utopia of Free Sexuality - Friedrichshof Commune 1973-8, Triton Verlag Publishers, Austria, ISBN 3-85486-091-9
• Tzara, Tristan (1916 to 1922), Dada Volumes l and ll, Tristan Tzara Centre du XXe siècle, ISBN 2-902311-17-6 and ISBN 2-902311-19-2

External links

• The Vienna Actionists resource page
• Classic underground book, commonly given to hospice patients in their final stages of life