The area of installation art is an exciting art form because it provides a very different way of making art. Installation art is very different from other art forms because they are usually 3-dimensional and is not confined to a certain ideology. It is described as a type of art form where they are dependent on the site and location of the art work while in some others, the art work generally transforms the space into an art work with the help of other objects to complement the message.
In most situations, installation art involve the use of interior spaces and is in within a building or space. However, modern installation artists have used exterior spaces although some have coined this as land art. The challenge for installation art is that they are often not permanent because it takes effort to put the pieces together for a show and once the event is over, the installation is usually removed. The artist will usually keep the idea and would need to re-enact the art work only when necessary. This makes installation art harder to sell as compared to the likes of paintings and sculptures.
Depending on the artist themselves, installations can be very cumbersome and they might need a lot more space as compared to a painting. This is mainly due to the very nature of the art work which is 3-dimensional in nature and the artist could be using more objects that could span across many meters. One of the favourable factors about installation art is that artists are not confined to a certain type of medium. In fact, installation artists are free to use various types of medium that could also encompass sculptures and paintings as part of the art work.
This means that installation artists are free to adopt any objects where the common ones used are things that are used every day and artists have also been known to involve new media like video, technology and even performances where they can be either directly or indirectly involved with the art work. One thing for sure, installation artists are more receptive when it comes to their expression of ideas. This is because installation art is more focused on the message that they are trying to convey instead of the techniques applied to produce the art work. In most cases, the installation art is enacted only once and is chosen for a specific event or exhibition like sports events and such with which after the event, the installation is kept away and only enacted if needed.
In Malaysia, installation art is a thriving area where there are many artists who are involved in making this type of art which usually dwells around the issues of social and political agendas. Suzlee Ibrahim is among the artists who is known for his installation works. In his ‘Colourful Boxes’ work, he used mannequin legs on boxes along a sidewalk which can be seen as a way of expressing his perception on the shopping behaviour of women.
