The article examines two concepts applied in contemporary art criticism: spectacle and participation, which are central to the analysis of contemporary art practices. Using contemporary art theories, the article describes the specific critical attitude to contemplation which occurred in the second part of the twentieth century and became the dominant mode of experiencing art. This attitude comes as a symptom of the so-called ethical turn in art criticism and the corresponding social turn in art. The latter is realized through artistic strategies of audience’s involvement into the structure of an art work; transformation of a spectator into a participant and a coauthor; and, finally, an expectation that the extension of artistic boundaries will be followed by the development of the collective social and civil praxis.