11 examples of strange but symbolic contemporary art (21 photos + 1 video)
They say contemporary art isn't for everyone. Well, perhaps it shouldn't be easy to navigate and understand at first glance. 
And it's not just about black squares and incomprehensible installations. Its purpose is to raise questions, not provide answers. These 11 striking and unique examples completely shatter established artistic stereotypes. They may delight, puzzle, or make you smile, but they will definitely not leave you indifferent.
1. Pies Flying at Your Face 
As part of the performance, artist Jennifer Rubell stood on a pedestal for six weeks while visitors threw pies at her. Each participant was required to sign a strict protocol allowing only one throw. On the opening day, the very first attack left the thrower feeling guilty and wanting to run away. 
2. Cats and Mice 
The gallery has become an arena for an eternal chase. Ryan Gander's works are hyperrealistic cats and mice, frozen in the halls, as if waiting for the viewer to turn away so they can continue their eternal confrontation. 
3. Transformation from War to Enlightenment 
Raúl Lemesoff converted a 1979 Ford Falcon into a mobile library tank, loaded with hundreds of books. Using this "Weapon of Mass Enlightenment," he traveled across Argentina, distributing literature to anyone who wanted it, turning a weapon of war into an instrument of knowledge. 
4. A Universe of One's Own 
Julius von Bismarck spent a week on a rotating platform, performing mundane tasks while the faces of art fairgoers flashed around him. The platform rotated at 15 revolutions per minute. The objects were secured, and the artist moved from the mattress to the table. 
5. Asleep at Work 
Art that can be mistaken for life. Artists played a prank on the public by placing a sculpture of a sleeping employee at the gallery entrance. The work blurred the line between reality and fiction so successfully that it even fooled the police.
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6. Art Among the Ruins 
What can you discover if you climb through a huge hole in an abandoned building? Artist Yosuke Amemiya transformed the hole into a portal to an alternative gallery, where a shocking work awaited viewers: a real woman's hand clutching an apple, like an eternal offering to Adam. 
7. Image Copyright 
Paolo Cirio found random passersby on Google Street View, printed out life-size images of them, and placed paper figures in the same locations where the photos were taken. This intervention project sharply raises questions of privacy in the digital age. 
8. Metaphorical Crack 
What if a rift in society could not only be seen, but also fallen into? Artist Doris Salcedo created a giant crack in the museum, which became a powerful symbol of division. The call for reflection proved dangerous: 15 people lost their grip on the edge and experienced the real-life fall into the social abyss. 
9. Movement as an Art Form 
The artist placed an ant on a sheet of paper, surrounded by walls, and traced its path with a pencil. The result was a labyrinth of lines, concentrated primarily along the edges—where the insect sought a way out of its confinement.
10. Beyond the Teeth 
Photographer Justin Quinnell places a tiny camera in his mouth to capture the world from the inside out. This unusual perspective captures everyday situations—from breakfast to the bustle of the city—from a unique, almost intimate perspective, making the viewer part of the observational process. 
11. Nature as a Patient 
The forest transforms into a hospital ward, where trees lie on gurneys with IVs. This surreal performance is Niklas Castello's disturbing metaphor for how humanity is attempting to "reanimate" a nature it has brought to a critical state. 
