Theoretical issues in the conservation of contemporary art: on paradigms, ontological and constitutive elements in some practical cases

Abstract

This article provides an approach to some of the theoretical concepts necessary to deal with the conservation and restoration of contemporary art. In this sense, the status of four contemporary works after their restoration, or simply due to the passage of time, has been analysed in depth and from a theoretical point of view. The works chosen were made of chocolate; plastics such as latex, acrylic resins and epoxy; organic materials such as blood; liturgical fabrics; butterfly wings; natural flowers... all materials that degrade due to the natural passage of time and the effect of the agents of deterioration. The interesting thing about the work is that it establishes the need to situate each work of contemporary art in an appropriate paradigm before proposing a process of intervention. To do this, it is necessary to carry out a study of the constituent elements of the artworks, both material and immaterial. Furthermore, the study presents the different intervention processes carried out. Finally, we study how the state of conservation may have affected the consistency of the artwork, taking into account the artistic intention.