THE SOCIAL MEANING OF MODERN ART: I KNOW MYSELF WHEN I AM NEXT TO YOU

Modern art's social engagement creates the conditions for reducing distinctions between different social groups, helps expand communication between them, increases capacities for self-expression, and promotes tolerance and humanism within society. Collaboration between the disabled person and the professional artist in the process of creating interdisciplinary modem artworks engenders personal changes in both the participants and observers of this process. The results of the study demonstrate that the creative process and pursuit of a common goal stimulate interpersonal exchange between the participants. Collaboration in the creative process leads disabled persons and artists to change their attitudes toward each other. Within the context of modern art, an individual with special needs becomes a full-fledged creator: her uniqueness and special needs become valuable. Artists absorb another way of seeing disabled people, discovering them as multi-faceted individuals. Different forms of modern art performance, actions - are an appropriate means of working with special needs individuals because these forms break down barriers and invite the audience to interact. The study's methodology is a practical experiment - a combination of social-artistic performance, art therapy methods, and phenomenological research.