The Significance of Art Mediation in Bridging the Communication Gaps

Abstract

The present article reports on a qualitative study of art mediation means to break communicative gaps that arise in the process of contemporary art comprehension. The art comprehension is a process involving inner feelings motion from a genuine sensory impression (on the surface) to the comprehension and development of an artistic message (depth). The communicative gap arises as a result of misunderstanding the code message by the recipient, due to the complexity of contemporary art. The gap in question is worsened by the features of visual perception formed under the influence of new media. The function of art mediator is of an intermediary nature and is designed to facilitate communication between the work of art and the viewer with the help of a dialogue in a group. The circular model of communication provides a description of the nonlinear and polycentric nature of this kind of interaction. The present article corresponds to a synthetic study based on the theories of communication as well as artistic and aesthetic appreciation in a post-literacy situation. As an example of mediation, the experience of discussing the sculptures of Ivan Gorshkov in the article of the 5th Ural Industrial Biennale of Contemporary Art (UIBCA) is presented.