Transformation of the Artistic Image of the Roma Community in the European Contemporary Art

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the specifics of the image of representatives of the Roma community in the fine art of Europe. The contribution of innovative Roma artists, such as Alfred Ullrich, Dan Turner, Delaine Le Bas, Oden Gyudy and others, who paved the way for self-presentation of the Roma people and formed a new image of their community. The role of modern Roma artists in the establishment of Roma identity and the use of new forms of art to convey complex realities of today’s Roma communities has been studied. The article analyses the creative work of leading contemporary Roma artists. In particular, Damian Le Bas, Emilia Rigova, Den Turner, Selma Selman and others, who using the artistic tools, by combining the traditional Roma art with modern techniques, reflect the Roma mentality. The purpose of the article is actualisation of Roma images in the works of art of the late 20th – early 21st centuries. Research methodology. To understand and realise the purpose, the cultural and historical approaches were used, and to study the evolution of Roma artistic images the research methods were used, such as chronological method, art analysis, among others. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that transformation of the presentation of Roma people in the European art of the late 20th – early 21st centuries century was comprehensively investigated for the first time. The contribution of modern Roma artists to the formation of a new image of their community was analysed. The obtained conclusions assume that, based on a number of specific examples, it was established that Roma people at different times, as well as in the modern period, were and are the objects of the increased interest of artists due to peculiarities of their origin and migration within the territory of Europe, as well as the specifics of ethnogenesis, original material and spiritual culture, ethnic unity and stability.