Award-winning writer and director Ben Lewis, a self-confessed “art geek”, takes an off-beat tour around the fringes of contemporary art.
While all eyes in Nineties Britain focussed on our own Young British Artists, a different global art movement was evolving. The leading French critic Nicolas Bourriaud, described it as 'Relational Art'. Armed with Bourriaud's book Relational Aesthetics, Ben goes in search of what he hopes might be a new 'ism'.
But trouble lies ahead: many of the artists whose reputations were advanced by Bourriaud's exhibitions and writings, refuse to be interviewed, deny they are relational, or once interviewed, try to ban Art Safari from showing their work.
Episode Info
Ben Lewis concludes the series in Tokyo, where he examines the work of whimsical artist Takashi Murakami. The Japanese designer's pieces include giant toys, Louis Vuitton handbags and inflatable sculptures, and his artworks appear on everything from mousemats to chocolate - a move that led to him being nicknamed the Warhol of the 21st century.