THE AESTHETİCS OF IMPERFECTİON: CONCEPTUAL AND VİSUAL DİMENSİONS OF FLAW İN ART
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18623/rvd.v23.5122Keywords:
Flaw, Art, Aesthetics, Wabi-Sabi, Contemporary Art, KintsugiAbstract
The concept of imperfection has long occupied a central place in aesthetic and philosophical debates in art history. Rather than being regarded merely as deficiency or deformation, imperfection has frequently been adopted as a creative and expressive strategy. In contrast to ideals of perfection, artists have deliberately employed flaw to develop alternative modes of representation and aesthetic experience. Across diverse cultures and artistic movements, imperfection has thus been redefined as a meaningful aesthetic value. This study examines how imperfection has been conceptualized in art, its role within aesthetic discourse, and the historical contexts in which it emerged as a conscious artistic choice. Attention is given to the Wabi-Sabi philosophy in East Asian aesthetics, which values transience, simplicity, and the beauty of flaws, as well as to modern and contemporary Western movements such as Dadaism and Conceptual Art, where imperfection functions as an intrinsic artistic strategy. Through selected examples, including Yeesookyung’s Translated Vase series and the Japanese Kintsugi tradition, the study explores how fracture, repair, and material trace operate as aesthetic and conceptual devices. Imperfection is approached not only as a visual quality but also as a means of meaning-making and of renewing the dialogue between artwork and viewer.
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