Art as Concept: perspectives on creativity
March 18, 2025
Image created by Amelie with photo of Damien Hirst’s, Shark, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living at GoodFon.com
Amelie Williams explores how the Young British Artists redefined art
What is art to you?
Most people, when they’re asked what they consider art to be, will tell you about hyper-realistic paintings, intricate sculptures, or beautiful drawings, all of which require remarkable skill and craftsmanship. But art is much more than technical mastery. Art is a creation that evokes emotions, floods your mind with questions, and moves you to a deeper understanding. This broader view of art is exactly what the Young British Artists (YBAs) began to introduce at the end of the 20th century.
The YBAs, including Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst and Sarah Lucas, transformed the art world by challenging society to reconsider what can be defined as art. These young artists pushed the boundaries of creativity, using unconventional materials and confronting taboo subjects. They took everyday objects and personal experiences and posed the question; is art determined by craftsmanship, or is it about the concept it conveys? The YBAs refocused art from technical skill and aesthetic beauty to the power of ideas, emotions, and the conversations their work ignited.
As an art student, such artists have truly expanded my perspective and helped me explore different routes in my own artistry. I now focus more on the message of what I want to portray through my pieces rather than the aesthetics and beauty. Like the YBAs, I want my art to give me a voice and to push boundaries.
In 1991, Damien Hirst made a major mark on art with The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (photo above ↑). The preserved shark in formaldehyde forces us to face the raw reality of death. It’s not just a piece of art, it’s a challenge, making us confront mortality and question life itself. Hirst’s shark doesn’t just show death; it makes us reckon with it. This piece emphasises that art is more than just a pretty picture on a wall.
In 1993, Hirst also made waves with his artwork, Mother and Child Divided. It’s a floor-based sculpture comprising of four glass-walled tanks, containing the two halves of a cow and calf carcass, each bisected and preserved in formaldehyde solution. Although this work didn’t use specific or traditional art techniques, it unravelled an abundance of theories when first displayed to its viewers.
Tracy Emin pushed boundaries with raw, personal and emotive creations
Mother and Child Divided compels viewers to confront profound and uncomfortable themes of life, death, separation, mortality and humanity’s detachment from the natural world, highlighting the fragility of existence. Nicholas Serota, Chairman of Arts Council England, stated, “Walking between the two halves and seeing the isolation of the calf from the cow encourages deeper readings of the work. Perhaps this is an essay on birth and death and on the psychological and physical separation between a mother and her child. For me, Mother and Child Divided is an unforgettable image, at once raw and tender, brazen and subtle.”
By raising such questions, Hirst moved his art away from brush strokes and sketch marks to a concept that forces the viewer to contemplate what they witness. This shift to a conceptual experience captures the essence of modern art; the freedom to redefine its purpose and expand its boundaries.
Similarly, Tracey Emin helped steer art down a more modernised and psychological route. She pushed the boundaries with raw and poignant creations, emphasising deeply personal narratives and emotional expression. A quintessential example of this is Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995 (1995), a tent appliquéd with the names of everyone she had shared a bed with, blurring the line between public and private spheres. This piece encapsulates the essence of modern art by evoking complex emotional responses. In this way, Emin embodies the transformative power of modern art, which seeks to provoke, challenge and redefine the purpose of artistic expression.
Hirst’s exploration of mortality and the fragility of life, paired with Emin’s intimate and psychological creations like Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995, reflects a broader transformation in modern art. This change prioritises ideas and experiences over aesthetic norms, redefining art as a means to engage with, question and confront contemporary issues.
The YBAs didn’t just make art, they shook things up, challenging the very idea of what art could be. They showed that it’s not just about how a piece looks, but the concepts behind it that can completely change the conversation.
