The Role of Public Art in Shaping Urban Cultural Identity

Abstract

Public art has taken on the power of cultural expression, thus influencing the ways in which cities practice identity, negotiating memory and developing community belonging. With the rapid urbanization in the modern global environment, the issue of environmental art becomes more and more important in keeping the cultural uniqueness and developing the spatial meaning. The paper explores the role of the participation of public art in the development of urban cultural identity by exploring the communicative, symbolic, and participatory roles of the piece in the contexts of the West and in China. This paper examines the role of public art in turning urban spaces into landscapes that have cultural significance through the application of a comparative literature analysis and a theoretical review based on a case. Results indicate that the Western view of public art is more likely to focus on social discourse, civic symbolism, and involvement of people, whereas the Chinese view tends to focus on philosophical harmony, significance of rituals, and cultural continuity. Differences notwithstanding, both contexts of public art play an important role in creating a sense of identity, strengthening the emotional connection, and enhancing cultural resilience to rapidly evolving cities.