The Most Influential Young Artists You Need To Know

Introduction: Top 7 Artists Born After 1970

The current top 100 living artists by Artfacts[2] gives us a great insight into today’s most influential artists. This analytical research tool enables us to gain understanding by offering a relevant section on the top-tier artists, ranking artists based on the latest trends, shows, and sales in the art world. While scrolling through this extensive list of names, one sees an amalgam of disciplines, nationalities, and generations.

This article will focus on the youngest artists on the Artfacts top 100 list, born after 1970. Arguably, the age of fifty may seem very respectable in a different context. However, everything under fifty seems to be a relatively young age in the art world.

Even more, artists under fifty are all artists whose careers (mainly) take place in the 21st century and are built upon their relevance in this day and age — unlike, for example, Joseph Kosuth (b. 1945, USA), who earned his place (no. 98) in this list due to his role and importance during the heyday of the historical period of Conceptual Art in the 1960s and 70s up to today. Therefore, this list is a sample of the most important contemporary art hot off the press.

As the top hundred list of living artists consist of seven artists under fifty, this article discusses the top seven of the most influential contemporary artists, all born after 1970. Please note that this list is continuously subject to change as the art world never stands still, and new things happen every day with the following hundred artists who are up and coming are already knocking on the door to replace their colleagues.

Without further ado, here come the seven most influential artists today, under fifty.

7. Ryan Gander

We find our first artist in our top 7 in the United Kingdom. Ryan Gander (b. 1976, UK) established an international reputation during the first two decades of the 21st century. His oeuvre, defying categorization, encompasses sculpture, installation, performance, public interventions, writing, and graphic design.

For several years, the British artist’s prolific presence in the art world has made him one of today’s most influential artists and one to follow for the years to come. Currently, he is ranked ninety-four among the top hundred living artists and seven on our list.

For further reading on Ryan Gander, head to our artist spotlight on Ryan Gander or consider the intriguing publication edited and written by Gander himself titled Artists’ cocktails. Find out the current price here.

6. Laure Prouvost

The second name we encounter is the French artist – who resides and works in Antwerp and London – Laure Prouvost (b. 1978, FR).

Prouvost is a multidisciplinary artist well known for her films, installations, and linguistic artworks. The Turner Prize-winning artist aims to create a dialogue between fiction and reality in which the viewer is directly involved.[3]

For further reading on Laure Prouvost, feel free to visit our artist spotlight on the French artist. We also highly recommend Laure Prouvost: Deep See Blue Surrounding You / Vois ce bleu profond te fondre. A monographic publication on the occasion of her show at the French Pavilion at the 58th Venice, a landmark in her already incredible career.

As a result, Prouvost sits in an eighty-ninth spot on the aforementioned Artfacts list of top hundred living artists and a well-deserved sixth spot in this article.

5. Otobong Nkanga

Next, we have Otobong Nkanga (b. 1974 NG/BE). The Nigerian-Belgian artist was born in Nigeria and currently resides and works in the city of Rubens, Antwerp, Belgium.

Nkanga has established an international reputation with her installations, performances, and sculptures, as well as her paintings, drawings, and photography. The winner of the Young Belgian Art Prize (2017) examines and discusses the social and topographical relationship which is connected to our everyday environment. Now, “land” is the central concept throughout her oeuvre, engaging with topics such as geography, material culture, historical culture, cultural inheritance, identity, appropriation, and politics.[4][5]

The approach to identity politics and postcolonial debates has never been this refined, subtle, and powerful. My first encounter with Otobong Nkanga’s work was in 2017 when Nkanga won the Young Belgian Art Prize at the Centre for Fine Arts (BOZAR) in Brussels [see image above]. Before, I had never heard of or seen her work. Yet ever since, today, she seems to be ubiquitously present in the art world.

Therefore it did not come as a surprise to find her name in the top hundred list by Artfacts, ranking number eighty-six and number five on this list as one of the most critical artists born since 1970.

For further reading and more artworks by Otobong Nkanga, have a look at our artist spotlight on the Nigerian-Belgian artist. Further, two monographic publications have been released recently. In 2017 her first monographic publication Otobong Nkanga: Luster and Lucre was published.

4. Danh Vō

Further, we have the performance-art-inspired conceptual artist Danh Vō (b. 1975, VN/DK). What a mouthful, but this is exactly what Vō’s oeuvre is about.

His works emerge from his personal history, relationships, and encounters. He examines political, sociological, and historical topics related to his life, such as the Vietnam War and immigration. Marked by postmodernism, our collective and personal historical memory and appropriation, the eclectic oeuvre of the Vietnamese-Danish artist explores identity, authorship, ownership fragmentation, fiction, reality, and memory as a concept.[6][7]

The Hugo Boss Prize winner (2012) is one of the art world’s leading figures, resulting in a seventieth place in the top hundred list by Artfacts and the fourth spot in this article.

For further reading, we have an artist spotlight on Danh Vō including a listing of career facts and more artworks. We highly recommend the monograph Danh Vo: Take My Breath Away.

3. Alicja Kwade

We enter the podium with Alicja Kwade (b. 1979, PL/DE). The Polish-born artist resides and works in Berlin, Germany, and is known for her characteristic sculptures and installations. Kwade is one of the greatest female artists of the contemporary era.

Kwade investigates the structures of our society and reality. A pivotal notion throughout her oeuvre is space and time and how the physical body experiences these concepts and their continuum. Intrigued by science and philosophy, her sculptures, videos, photographs, and installations consist of found objects, mirrors, and mathematical forms.[8][9]

Alicja Kwade is the youngest artist on our list. However, she is our first artist to take a spot in the top three of this article and rank as number fifty-one on the Artfacts list, surpassing names such as Anish Kapoor (b. 1954, IN) and Jeff Koons (b. 1955, US).

For further reading on Alicja Kwade, head over to our artist spotlight. We recommend the monographs Alicja Kwade: LinienLand (2019) and Alicja Kwade: In Aporie (2019) for printed reading.

2. Anri Sala

The silver medal goes to Anri Sala (b. 1974, AL). The Albanian artist resides and works in Berlin, Germany, and is primarily known for working in film.

Besides film, Sala also works with photography, installation, and performance, engaging his viewer to participate in the artwork. The Mario Merz Prize (2014) winner is occupied with cultural observation, personal experiences, and socio-political events or settings.[10]

On the Artfacts list, Sala ranks as number forty of the most influential living artist of the moment, resulting in second place in this article.

For more artworks and a more comprehensive read on Anri Sala, we refer to our artist spotlight on the Albanian artist and his overview publication, Anri Sala: Answer Me.

1. Kader Attia

Our number one spot goes to Kader Attia (b. 1970, FR). The French-Algerian artist resides and works in Berlin, Germany, and is lauded in international artistic circles for his photography, sculpture, installation, and collage.[11]

The central notion of ‘repair connects his oeuvre.’ It is a constantly present concept in nature and, therefore, in humanity. From a structural point of view, Attia explores this notion from social, institutional, and cultural perspectives.

For further reading on Kader Attia, feel free to look at our artist spotlight on the French artist or at the printed publication The Repair from Occident to Extra-Occidental Cultures, published in 2015.

As our gold medalist of this article, Kader Attia is ranked as the twenty-first most influential living artist and the most influential young artist of today.

Notes:

[1] Concrete Hub, White Cube: Kader Attia, Galleria Continua at http://concrete-hub.com/post/white-cube-kader-attia-galleria-continua/ consulted 17/09/2020.
[2] Artfacts, Artist ranking at https://artfacts.net/lists/global_top_100_artists consulted 17/09/2020.
[3] Artsy, Laure Prouvost at https://www.artsy.net/artist/laure-prouvost consulted 17/09/2020.
[4] Artsy, Otobong Nkanga at https://www.artsy.net/artist/otobong-nkanga consulted 17/09/2020.
[5] Otobong Nkanga, Otobong Nkanga at https://www.otobong-nkanga.com consulted 17/09/2020.
[6] Marian Goodman, Danh Vo at https://www.mariangoodman.com/artists/68-danh-vo/ consulted 17/09/2020.
[7] Xavier Hufkens, Danh Vō at https://www.xavierhufkens.com/artists/danh-vo consulted 17/09/2020.
[8] 303 Gallery, Alicja Kwade at https://www.303gallery.com/artists/alicja-kwade/biography consulted 18/09/2020.
[9] Artsy, Alicja Kwade at https://www.artsy.net/artist/alicja-kwade consulted 18/09/2020.
[10] Hauser & Wirth, Anri Sala at https://www.hauserwirth.com/artists/2802-anri-sala consulted 18/09/2020.
[11] Artsy, Kader Attia at https://www.artsy.net/artist/kader-attia consulted 18/09/2020.