Sell argues that seeing avant-garde simply as an anti-mainstream art movement is too limited; instead, he views it as a unique attitude that defies easy definitions. He believes that to understand the avant-garde, one must consider the historical context and the forces marginalizing it, as its essence lies more in feeling than in clear boundaries. For Sell, the avant-garde isn’t a label—it’s a way of challenging structures and engaging deeply with change.
Sers contrasts the radical avant-garde, which actively provokes and seeks new perspectives, with the contemporary avant-garde, which he argues is often commercial and serves to question rather than disrupt.