Conceptual Artistic Metal Forging: Technologies, History, and Artistic Value in Contemporary Art

This article examines artistic metal forging as a materially oriented practice situated at the intersection of traditional craft, design, material culture, and contemporary art. The relevance of the study is determined by the expanding functions of forged metal in contemporary artistic practice: from the production of functional and decorative objects to the creation of authorial works, sculptural compositions, and conceptually oriented forms. The main research problem concerns the conditions under which forging technology ceases to function solely as a means of production and becomes a meaningful component of an artistic statement.

The aim of the study is to determine the role of material and forging technology in the formation of the artistic and conceptual content of a work. The research employs a qualitative, interdisciplinary, and interpretive approach combining art history, craft theory, and material culture studies. The primary method is a focused source analysis of scholarly publications, monographs, museum catalogues, exhibition materials, and institutionally documented contemporary artistic practices. An analytical model of “material - technology - form - artistic meaning” is proposed to examine the artwork as an interconnected material-technological system.

The findings demonstrate that the properties of metal, the nature of technological intervention, and traces of the production process may function as independent elements of artistic language. At the same time, technical complexity, manual labor, or surface decoration alone are insufficient to define a work as conceptual. Conceptual potential emerges when material, technology, form, and artistic purpose are substantively interconnected. The study concludes that contemporary artistic forging preserves historical technological heritage while expanding its significance within contemporary art, design, and sculpture.