The Influence of Crime TV-shows on Contemporary Art - A Study on the Reflection of the New Understanding of Death in Contemporary Art

The natural process of death is feared by plenty of people, but death is also popularized. The topic of death has a prominent place in popular culture. Crime TV-shows have been extensively covering this topic for quite some time. The way that crime shows address death is different from humanity’s fundamental understanding of death: to treat the dead with respect and value the persons they once were. In essence, crime TV-shows have created a different understanding of death. Because of its popularity, it can be questioned whether crime TV-shows affect other cultural forms. Art, just as crime shows, has an extensive history within the theme of death. Since death is a recurring topic in both art and crime TV-shows, it is of significance to research if and how these two cultural forms are connected. Consequently, this paper researches to what extent the new understanding of death, created by crime TV-shows, is reflected in contemporary art. Three case studies of contemporary artworks...Show moreThe natural process of death is feared by plenty of people, but death is also popularized. The topic of death has a prominent place in popular culture. Crime TV-shows have been extensively covering this topic for quite some time. The way that crime shows address death is different from humanity’s fundamental understanding of death: to treat the dead with respect and value the persons they once were. In essence, crime TV-shows have created a different understanding of death. Because of its popularity, it can be questioned whether crime TV-shows affect other cultural forms. Art, just as crime shows, has an extensive history within the theme of death. Since death is a recurring topic in both art and crime TV-shows, it is of significance to research if and how these two cultural forms are connected. Consequently, this paper researches to what extent the new understanding of death, created by crime TV-shows, is reflected in contemporary art. Three case studies of contemporary artworks are discussed to illustrate to what extent the new understanding of death is reflected in art. These include The Class (2005) by Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, Cleaning (2009) by Teresa Margolles, and 48 Star Flag (1990-2005) by Andrew Krasnow. The topic of death in these artworks is very literal since human remains are used in the creation of the artwork. Each of the three artworks sheds a light on a different aspect of the dead human body, namely corpses, blood, and skin. The paper discusses to what extent the artworks relate to crime TV-shows, which provides a deeper understanding of how the artworks reflect the new understanding of death.Show less

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The Influence of Crime TV-shows on Contemporary Art - A Study on the Reflection of the New Understanding of Death in Contemporary Art