Abstract:

Every form of communication, even every culture, is depending on the interaction between expectation and perception. Every perception is related to anticipations and therefore to comparisons. What we understand or see is not simply a given, but is the product of past experiences and future expectations. When understanding fails, expectations become prejudices. A big stumbling-block in interpreting artworks in a museum of contemporary art is having confidence in the concept of multiple interpretations. Because contemporary art is characterised as ‘open-ended’, understanding does not always occur and viewers are confused or even disappointed. In this study we investigate the process of understanding contemporary art and focus especially on the formulation of prejudices during a museum visit. We underline that the prejudiced nature of understanding does not have to lead to negative or empty experiences but creates openness to future experiences. Prejudices send people back to re-inspect the initial experience. It is important to bring museum visitors to understand their own constructed meanings by reinvestigating their initial interpretation through inquiring. Museum educators should develop tools which allow visitors to position themselves and make them think from various contexts. This kind of education leads to enriched (re)interpretation and experiences.

Keywords: