The Concept of Techne and Contemporary Artist’s Everyday Practices

Usually the theories of art focus on the finished artwork and do not consider the role, character and quality of the labor that is needed for creating the work. The nature of the work of art seems theoretically irrelevant. However, it obvious that artworks result from a working process, they are made employing various techniques that require various skills – from manual labor or craft to invisible conceptual work – for converting the raw materials or ideas into art. In this chapter, I will explore the contemporary artist’s working processes looking them through the concept of techne as presented by Henry Staten’s book Techne Theory (2019). According to Staten, the concept of techne employed in the context of the contemporary visual arts differs from the traditional perception of techne as practical technique. In Staten’s theoretical framework techne signifies not solely the physical practice but also the conceptual skills employed in the context of making art. Techne provides a theoretical bridge that connects the different means used in creating works of art and thus clarifies the nature of ingenuity required for today’s artists.