CONCEPTUAL ART AS A PHENOMENON OF CONTEMPORARY VISUAL SPACE: PHILOSOPHY AND VISUAL LANGUAGE

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyze conceptual art as a phenomenon of contemporary visual space, where philosophical, aesthetic, and socio-cultural factors of artistic thinking interact. The study emphasizes that the main characteristic of conceptual art is the primacy of the idea over material form, the rejection of traditional aestheticism, and the focus on intellectual interpretation of art. The philosophical foundations of this direction – post-structuralism, phenomenology, and semiotics – are examined as a basis for understanding art as a system of signs and meanings. The paper traces the stages of conceptual art development – from Marcel Duchamp’s ready-mades and Sol LeWitt’s instructions to multimedia installations and digital art practices of the 21st century. It highlights the changing role of the artist as not only a creator of an object but also an initiator of an intellectual dialogue between viewer and concept. Special attention is given to the Ukrainian context, where conceptual art functions as a means of cultural reflection and social critique. It is concluded that the visual language of conceptual art represents a flexible system integrating text, object, space, and technology into a unified semantic field. This visual language reflects the deep transformations of artistic thinking in the contemporary era and contributes to the formation of a new model of interaction between idea, image, and social reality. Conceptual art thus serves as a factor in the intellectualization of visual culture, transforming the boundaries of visuality in the age of globalization and digital technology.