Spirituality remains important, but it takes on new forms in the global contemporary era.
1980 - present
videos + essays
We're adding new content all the time!
Do Ho Suh, Rubbing/Loving
Contemporary artist Do Ho Suh covers every surface in the apartment that was his home and studio for eighteen years with white paper, rubbing with colored pencil all of the space's memory-provoking details.
Tenzing Rigdol, Pin drop silence: Eleven-headed Avalokiteshvara
In Tenzing Rigdol’s Pin drop silence: Eleven-headed Avalokiteshvara, we encounter a traditional Buddhist deity in an artwork that is anything but conventional .
Roger Minick, Woman with Scarf at Inspiration Point, Yosemite National Park
The majesty of Yosemite National Park — with Roger Minick and the woman with the scarf.
James Turrell, Skyspace, the way of color
A viewing station for sunrise and sunset, Turrell’s work manipulates light, time, and perception.
Mariko Mori, Pure Land
In her immersive dreamscapes, Mori transforms the celestial attendants of Buddhist art into pastel-colored aliens.
Bruce Nauman, The True Artist Helps the World by Revealing Mystic Truths
Using the medium of mass culture, Nauman brought high-brow questions about the role of art to broader society.
Clarissa Rizal, Resilience Robe
Chilkat weaving has been practiced by Tlingit for hundreds of years; here modernity and tradition weave together.
Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Earth’s Creation
Kngwarreye’s rise to prominence as an internationally-recognized artist doesn’t fit the typical mold.
Bill Viola, The Crossing
Viola’s multi-channel video installations experiment with meditative states and the manipulation of time.
Chris Ofili, The Holy Virgin Mary
Why did the mayor of New York City threaten to close the museum exhibiting Ofili’s painting of the Virgin Mary?
Browse Smarthistory images for teaching & learning!
