Abstract
In this paper I will focus on the ideas of Albrecht Wellmer, one of the authors of contemporary critical theory, elaborating on the aesthetic theory of Theodor W. Adorno.
According to Wellmer, the end of art would come with the loss of art's contribution towards the development of human beings and, by extension, society as such. From Wellmer's point of view, the only genuine task of art in the conditions of (post)modernity is to engage in the process of democratization, i.e. the movement of society towards establishing freedom, equality, pluralism and non-violence.
This movement, however, does not proceed automatically, and herein Wellmer finds the unique role of art: the ability to express and represent aspects, which are excluded from the realm of the meaning and perception. As a result, art, or more precisely the aesthetic experience of art, can subvert and transform the relation we have to ourselves, to the others and to the world as such.
The aim of this presentation is to explain in what sense can be Wellmer's conception of art connected to his idea of democratization and whether such understanding of art would be problematic.