Critique of Efficiency in Contemporary Art

Christian Caliandro argues that contemporary art has become dominated by efficiency, performance, and practical results, where artworks and artists are valued only if they serve a function and can be easily communicated. He traces this trend from the sensationalism of the YBAs in the 1990s to today's preference for 'heavy,' resource-intensive images akin to cinema and advertising, contrasting it with Hito Steyerl's 'poor image' and Jerzy Grotowski's 'poor theatre.' Caliandro invokes Grotowski's 1965 manifesto, which advocated for an ascetic theatre that renounces external technique in favor of a 'holy' actor. He suggests that museums and large exhibitions now rely on elaborate technology and spectacle, making it rare to find artists who withdraw from attention. Drawing on Alva Noë, he posits that art is a 'strange tool' stripped of function, an enemy of functionality and technology. Caliandro calls for a return to art as encounter and relationship, embracing negativity and unpredictability to resist control and efficiency.