Rebirth in Art: 21st Century Creations That Reshaped Concepts of Time

The turn of a new year invites reflection—not just on dates, but on how we understand time, transition, and renewal. Contemporary art has uniquely captured these ideas, asking us to rethink beginnings not as a moment, but as an ongoing process. 

Here are artworks that have reimagined our relationship with time, change, and transformation in the 21st century.

1. The Clock — Christian Marclay (2010)

Christian Marclay’s The Clock is a 24-hour video montage synced to real time, composed of film and television clips where clocks match the actual hour of the day. It was exhibited at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York from November 10, 2024 to May 11, 2025 on Floor 2, Gallery 212 as part of the museum’s contemporary art programming.

When I first came across The Clock online, what struck me wasn’t just the ambition of the work, but how unsettling the idea felt even through a screen. Reading about it and watching excerpts made me think about how rarely we are truly aware of time as it passes. I learned that art doesn’t need to freeze a moment to be powerful — sometimes, it moves alongside us, quietly reminding us that beginnings and endings are always happening at the same time.

Learn more: The Clock on MoMA’s site

2. The Loop — Rachel Rose (2022)

Exhibited at Pilar Corrias Gallery, London

In The Loop (also shown in variations titled Loop (250 million BC)), artist Rachel Rose contrasts raw mineral and blown glass in sculptural forms that evoke deep geological time. These pieces were part of exhibitions at Pilar Corrias galleries in London (Eastcastle Street / Savile Row) where several works in the Loop series were shown.

Observing this work through my screen felt like viewing a micro and macro version of rebirth: what is instant versus what takes millennia. What I noticed was that beginnings are not always sharp; sometimes they are sediments layered slowly under the surface.

Learn more: Rachel Rose at Pilar Corrias

3. The Obliteration Room — Yayoi Kusama (2002–present)

Visited in various museums worldwide (e.g., Queensland Art Gallery / GOMA)

Yayoi Kusama’s The Obliteration Room is an interactive installation that begins as a completely white space and gradually fills with multicolored dots placed by visitors. The work has appeared in exhibitions globally, including at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) as part of Look Now, See Forever.

It made me realize that renewal can be collective: each sticker is a personal moment added to the whole. When I read further about this installation space, I learned that people of all ages decorate walls, furniture, and floors, and it struck me that beginnings can be shared acts of joy and chaos.

Learn more: The Obliteration Room info on Kusama

4. Lobby-For-The-Time-Being — Vito Acconci (2010)

Permanent installation at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York

Vito Acconci’s immersive Corian installation winds through the lobby of the Bronx Museum of the Arts, creating a physical rhythm that evokes the flow of time itself.

Looking at its curves, I learned that beginnings aren’t just intellectual — they are bodily. Time can be felt in space, in movement, in how the shape of a corridor guides your breath.

Learn more: Lobby-For-The-Time-Being: Vito Acconci’s Fabric-like Corian Installation

5. Wishing on You — FAILE (2015)

Installed in Times Square, New York City

FAILE’s kinetic sculpture Wishing on You was installed in Times Square, NYC, blending references to traditional prayer wheels with neon lights and movement.

What I saw reminded me that renewal often depends on action: you turn toward hope, literally and figuratively, one revolution at a time.

Learn more: Times Square

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These works don’t just depict time; they invite us into it. As we enter a new year, they remind us that beginnings are simultaneous with endings—and that art helps us see both with fresh eyes.