How liminalism became the defining aesthetic

Status of Liminalism as “Defining” Aesthetic

• Many readers find calling liminalism the defining aesthetic overstated and somewhat promotional.
• Some see it as one niche among many (vaporwave, cyberpunk, Y2K, “old money,” etc.), though at least one commenter claims liminalism is currently more popular with teenagers than those other styles.
• There is mild suspicion that the framing may function as indirect marketing for the Backrooms movie, though others doubt the outlet is big enough to make that worthwhile.

Art-world Language and Elitism

• Several commenters criticize art-crit discourse as dense, jargon-heavy, and exclusionary, using long, theory-laden sentences and signaling concepts like “late capitalism.”
• Others argue the article actually defends internet-born liminalism against traditional gatekeeping and emphasizes its “bottom‑up” origins.
• There’s broad agreement that working artists are often approachable, while “middlemen” (critics, institutions) can feel pretentious or performatively radical.

Meaning of “Liminal” vs Liminal Aesthetic

• Clarification that “liminal” literally means “in-between” or transitional (stations, airports, thresholds).
• The aesthetic, however, focuses on spaces that feel uncanny, empty, and introspective, not just functionally transitional.
• Debate over whether busy transit hubs can feel liminal; some say only when empty, others stress psychological states (isolation among crowds, smartphone absorption).
• Related concept of “liminal dreaming” / hypnagogia is discussed as another “between” state, linked to creativity.

Nostalgia, Architecture, and Public Spaces

• Nostalgia is seen as central: people are drawn to spaces tied to their formative years (90s malls, specific UI eras).
• Disagreement over “Frutiger Aero” nostalgia; some see it as the peak of sterile corporate UI and alienation, others as just another age-linked memory.
• Many link liminal images to dead/dying malls and hollowed-out public or commercial spaces; others question how widespread this really is (quantification is unclear).
• Commenters contrast cheap, corporate, late‑modern spaces—tolerable only when populated or commercialized—with older or more intentionally designed architecture, which often doesn’t read as “liminal” when empty.

Connections to AI, Dreams, and Other Media

• Strong thread tying liminal spaces to AI “latent space”: both are vast, uncanny, human-derived but not fully comprehensible, echoing late-capitalist remixing and degradation of culture.
• Generative AI is framed as a kind of “dreaming machine” and as a culmination of theories about capitalism absorbing and recycling all aesthetics.
• Other touchpoints: Backrooms creepypasta, DOOM’s MyHouse.WAD, House of Leaves, urban exploration, empty amusement parks, and subreddit imagery.

Reception of the Aesthetic

• Some find liminal images soothing yet unsettling and enjoy them as outsider, internet-native art.
• Others see the whole thing as a minor meme/fad with limited artistic depth, more about mood and novelty than serious significance.