AßSTRACT

Art and Non-@rt

In an age of vertiginous global transformations, artistic experiences increase and link according to unexpected ways. Artistic expressions, such as fashions, customs, behaviors, and ideas express their time and reflect the society in which they occur. Therefore, any attempt to define with coherence what is the art and what is not proves unsuccessful. The aesthetic canon is just relative and varies according to history. So we undertook reflections on contemporary art, trying to relate them to the work and the activity of an artist, Frank MacYouch, who, despite being outside of any labeling, calls himself, in a joking way, a non-artist. He promotes thus an idea of art and "making art", whose ambition is that to let arts converge and amalgamate into an original synthesis, made of styles, expressions, and procedures that operate in a "border area" between art and non-art. In this area, "hybridization" and contamination are not only common practice but a source of inspiration and guidance. Tools are multifaceted, from graphics to painting, from photography to computer graphics. Our reflections, besides, have a discursive nature, being structured around thematic ideas, without claiming to be systematic. Sometimes reflections include explanatory notes and sometimes in-depth analysis. A detailed description of the main artist's projects follows soon after and illustrates techniques and materials used by the artist, above all, methods and tools that, starting from a few basics, defined "algorithms", allow each project to become effective through research and experimentation, producing abstract compositions and unconventional paintings, based on bright colors and dynamic structures. The entire site aims "to be read", not just browsed. Therefore, it isn't a showcase full of "good intentions", nor a virtual bulletin board we can access and then forget through a hasty "like". According to the intentions of the author, we should read and consult the site of Ars Hybrida as a book because it preserves its same structure and, as a book, we should deepen it chapter by chapter, page by page. And, to satisfy those who prefer a traditional reading to web browsing, the author also published a printable version of the site, making it available both as PDF and EPUB.  Enjoy the reading!