BORDERS AND BORDER CROSSING BETWEEN ART WORLDS. Successful attempts and epic failures to enter new domains in recent British art

Abstract

The paper attempts to answer, whether it is possible for successful artists in one specific sector to access the domain of another artistic field at their free will. In doing so, this contribution analyses the possible existence of borders and gatekeepers between different art worlds. The aim is not just finding or defining boundaries between art fields, but rather understanding, if boundaries can be pierced through, as well as the conditions that might hinder acceptance. Moving from an art theoretical and philosophical perspective, the present paper will discuss the thesis of Pierre Bourdieu, Howard Becker, Berys Gaut and Joseph Margolis on boundary conditions in the arts. Subsequently their views will be tested against three recent cases of British artist celebrities, who tried to enter new artistic domains, though with alternate success. They are the episodes of Damian Hirst painfully failing as a filmmaker, of Steve McQueen slowly working his way up to the Oscars, of Douglas Gordon intentionally and irreverently challenging contemporary theatre.