Hybridization of the Apollonian and Dionysian in Contemporary Art

The article presents a critical rethinking and operationalization of the classical dichotomy of F. Nietzsche, the Apollonian and Dionysian principles, in the context of the analysis of contemporary art and culture. Initially proposed to explain the phenomenon of ancient Greek tragedy, this opposition is considered by the authors not as a metaphysical struggle of eternal forces, but as a product of the complex interaction of networks of human and non-human actants. The novelty of the study lies in the synthesis of Nietzsche’s philosophy with the apparatus of actor-network theory and media philosophy, which allows us to translate speculative categories into the plane of analysis of specific material and technical practices. For the methodological reboot of the Nietzschean model, a synthesis of three theoretical layers is used. These are media theories (M. McLuhan, U. Eco) for the analysis of how the technical features of media shape the modes of perception; actor-network theory (B. Latour) and object-oriented ontology (G. Harman, T. Morton) for the dematerialization of categories and their consideration as network configurations; and the Russian reception of Friedrich Nietzsche (V. Ivanov, P. Florensky, A.F. Losev), which deepened his ideas. Using examples from the analysis of post-dramatic theater, bio-art, rave culture, and the phenomenon of Burning Man, the article demonstrates that contemporary art manifests a complex hybridization of these principles rather than a simple synthesis. The practical significance of this work lies in the development of a flexible analytical toolkit for critics and curators, enabling the decomposition of complex objects of contemporary culture through the interaction of Apollonian and Dionysian effects. Apollo and Dionysus appear not as spirits of history, but as names for effects produced by specific assemblages of actants — from algorithms and biomatter to social norms and architectures. Ultimately, the opposition becomes a tool for analyzing the ontological and political struggles of the posthumanist era.