Utopia and dystopia in contemporary art

This study aims to explain how semantic transformation of Utopia / Dystopia concepts has started in the historical process and how this transformation is reflected on artworks and especially contemporary artworks. In this context firts of all starting with the old sources fed the concept of utopia, which emerged with the work of Utopia by Thomas More (1478-1535), the utopian and dystopian texts of the 19th century and 20th century were examined and the reflections of utopia concept in the field of art were discussed. In the first quarter of the 20th century, it was observed that the artists of Constructivism, Futurism and Bauhaus movement reflected their utopian tendencies to their art. In the artworks produced after 1950, with the effect of World War II on the artists, the dystopic tendencies increased and the effects on the works were observed as well. The sculptures of Henry Moore and Germaine Richier, the delibrate deterioration of forms emerges as a reflection of dystopic trends. The utopian trend continues in the works of the artists of the Earth Art movement, which draws attention to the destruction of nature and the environment in industrialized cities. The concepts of utopia and dystopia are reflected in the fields of literature, cinema and architecture as well as plastic arts. Therefore, in this study, it is tried to determine the stages and areas of historical continuity of Utopia and Dystopia. The artists and works included in this thesis were chosen from among the artists and artworks emphasized the connection between the imaginative, designing and guiding features of art with utopia and its ability of art to criticize communities and systems with dystopia. Key Words: Contemporary Art, Utopia, Distopya, Socialist Utopia, Dystopic Violence, Modernism, Dystopic Surrealism, Nature and Utopia, Post-apocalyptic.