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In discussing the role of the artist in society, this essay will consider the audience or the viewer as representing society, depending on the case study. The notion of authorship will be explored through examples of two artists and the relationship between their work and the audience. Mark Rothko thought of his abstract paintings as experiences in themselves expressing thoughts rather than what can be visually recognisable. Tañía Bruguera transmits political ideas through socially engaged performance art. The emphasis on experience by these artists implies that the viewer or the audience is the ‘final’ creator of the artwork or a co-author. The essay will argue that the role of these artists is to facilitate and initiate communication with the audience to, ultimately, challenge the conceptual boundaries in society. The experience of the artwork comes from comprehending the abstract ideas about the human experience that artists are communicating. The argument will be supported through drawing on the Allan Kaprow’s view of art as an experience, Nato Thompson’s idea of privileging that lived experience, Claire Bishop’s concepts of ‘emancipated spectator’ and ‘ethical turn’ and Joseph Beuys’ claim that ‘everyone is an artist’.