Art juridified: legality in contemporary art workings

Art and law have a troubled relationship that is defined by steep hierarchies placing art subject to law. But beyond the interplay of transgressions and regulations, manifest in a number of high-profile cases, there are more intricate connections between the two disciplines. By expanding the notion of law into the concept of a hybrid collectif of legality, the hierarchies flatten and unfamiliar forms of possible interactions emerge. Legality, the quality of something being legal, serves as a model to show the capricious workings of law outside of its own profession. New juridical actors—such as algorithms—already challenge traditional regulatory powers and art could assume a similar role. This thesis offers a point of departure for the involvement of art in shaping emergent legalities that transcend existent jurisdictions through computer code.