Conceptual Art: A Critical Anthology - uncopy

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jects waiting to be turned into an art object—as was the case with Land art—their references are instead unspecified events or processes. Following Georg Jappe’s formula, one could say that Conceptual art substitutes the object-like (“verdinglichte”) final work by a creative process. This implies, to be sure, a recourse to subjectivity, a rediscovery of an individualistic gesture without fixed meaning. However, to see in this only a new version of the subjective structures of Art Informel means to ignore the completely different structural perspective through which the subjective gesture can obtain a universal, that is, procedural, meaning. Since the sketch replaces the final work of art, art does without its traditional finalized form and, therefore, assigns a new role not only to the artist, but also to the viewer. The artist gives only a hint, an indication or general direction, and the viewer is no longer reduced to merely perceiving the finalized work and to interpreting what he sees. He is exposed to the necessity and, at the same time, the possibility, to reflect upon the indications the sketch provides him with following his own ideas and associations. In the case of Conceptual art the creative process does not end with a final product, but stays within the field of open forms, representing an ongoing process. Independent of the individual idea in a concrete conceptual design and notwithstanding the fact that one may judge a concrete conceptual design as meaningful or nonsensical, one thing is sure: a new procedure becomes visible within this form of art that has the potential for entirely new artistic developments, even if they will lead to different artistic practices than the ones represented in present Conceptual art. In this understanding, present Conceptual art is neither perceived as the paradigmatic contemporary art form nor is it promoted to represent any transcendent meanings or aspirations; however, by understanding Conceptual art as a new artistic procedure, its significance lies in being something like a theoretical art. This text served as the introduction for the catalogue to the exhibition “Konzeption/Conception,” organized by Rolf Wedewer and Konrad Fischer and staged at the Städtischen Museum in Leverkusen, October-November 1969. Translated by Nora M. Alter, this is its first publication in English. rolfwedewer introduction to konzeption/conception 143
eware daniel buren This text was written for the exhibition “Conception” at Leverkusen (subsequently reprinted by A 379089 of Antwerp), before I had seen the works which were “exhibited” there. My skepticism in certain respects proved justified. Given that this text is neither a profession of faith nor a bible nor a model for others, but merely a reflection upon work in progress, I have wished, for this new context, to change certain words, delete or restate certain phrases or to go more thoroughly into certain particular points with respect to the original text. Alterations or additions to the original are set in italics and placed in square brackets. I. WARNING A concept may be understood as being “the general mental and abstract representation of an object” (see Le Petit Robert Dictionary; “an abstract general notion of conception”—Dictionary of the English Language). Although this word is a matter for philosophical discussion, its meaning is still restricted; concept has never meant “horse.” Now, considering the success which this word has obtained in art circles, considering what is and what will be grouped under this word, it seems necessary to begin by saying here what is meant by “concept” in para-artistic language.
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Conceptual Art: A Critical Antholog
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conceptual art: a critical antholog
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contents ILLUSTRATIONS xii PREFACE
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Rolf Wedewer, Introduction to Konze
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Adrian Piper, On Conceptual Art 424
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16. General Idea, Orgasm Energy Cha
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have chosen to include are not mean
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elements of the artwork as equal co
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guistic act of asserting their “a
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model of conceptualism posits an un
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ody else fabricating or describing
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an isolated circuit, these works cl
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communication, integrating the work
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always already constructed. In othe
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Atkinson refers to it, compiled in
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the things only on a verbal informa
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escape it. The museum can assess in
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ognition: Representation, Power, Cu
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and, thereby, of society as a whole
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In the late sixties and early seven
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and from the language of painterly
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transformation”—had been underm
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out, conceptual art had little of t
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12. Gregory Battcock, “Painting I
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in the Labour Movement,” Dialogue
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eduardo costa, raúl escari, robert
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a media art (manifesto) eduardo cos
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4 This text was written in Buenos A
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compositions for audio structures c
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the attributed signifiers are unant
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2 Mel Bochner and Robert Smithson,
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Conceptual art is not necessarily l
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can be measured. The intervals and
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excerpt from placement as language
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3 Brian O’Doherty, Scenario for B
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1 — The derivation of the terms o
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subtracting each number in turn fro
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the visual evidence that they do me
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uren, mosset, toroni or anybody mic
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emarks on air-conditioning: an extr
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34 NOTES 1. “Other maps are such
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“reductive” art—simply corrob
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general scheme of the new objectivi
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42 large-scale, not for an elite re
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II 1968
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an “empty” work, or one with a
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ultra-conceptual. When works of art
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concerningthe article “the demate
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54 can never be created or destroye
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56 rather, questions of true or fal
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58 and myself worked particularly c
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statement yvonne rainer The choices
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statement to lucy lippard hanne dar
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7 John Baldessari, Everything Is Pu
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gallery or museum signified “this
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function. It may happen that the ob
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G. B.: At this stage, art would bec
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ual. It forces him to have the same
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8 Martha Rosler, Bringing the War H
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The recognition of this new concept
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The artists worked in collaboration
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III 1969
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etween the artist and his public re
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In October 1967 at the Fifth Paris
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fact eliminated the artist’s “e
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or listening to gurgling or popping
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Page 153 and 154: introduction editors of art-languag
Page 155 and 156: 100 and the U.S.A. does not, if the
Page 157 and 158: 102 The question of “recognition
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Page 162 and 163: 10 — Ideas alone can be works of
Page 164 and 165: 11 General Idea, The Garb Age Colle
Page 166 and 167: 1 — Language suggests, through th
Page 168 and 169: note: start write up of piece when
Page 170 and 171: “element” missing from this dia
Page 172 and 173: Aug 8, 69 Kent Cunow. Told a great
Page 174 and 175: only one who’s not staying in N.Y
Page 177 and 178: “maintenance art manifesto: propo
Page 179 and 180: 124 II. THE MAINTENANCE ART EXHIBIT
Page 181 and 182: patron’s statement for “when at
Page 183 and 184: politics and the avant-garde piero
Page 185 and 186: 130 brought into being a climate of
Page 187 and 188: 132 Emilio Prini states: “creativ
Page 189 and 190: 134 obstacles continue to call for
Page 191 and 192: art tamed and wild jean clay May 19
Page 193 and 194: 138 In a period of gigantic ephemer
Page 195: 140 There has been a noticeable inc
Page 200 and 201: We can distinguish [four] different
Page 202 and 203: The points to be examined are descr
Page 204 and 205: art that one might think that inner
Page 206 and 207: which concerns us is therefore fund
Page 208 and 209: the effacement involved is of inter
Page 210 and 211: would have us believe that what tak
Page 212 and 213: White and blue vertical stripes wer
Page 214 and 215: Traditional philosophy, almost by d
Page 216 and 217: The one thing to say about art is t
Page 218 and 219: But in the philosophic tabula rasa
Page 220 and 221: qualities seen in a specific painti
Page 222 and 223: But an empirical proposition, or a
Page 224 and 225: eration of it as an art work is nec
Page 226 and 227: the idea ofinventing. It is nothing
Page 228 and 229: Lawrence Weiner, who gave up painti
Page 230 and 231: pop paintings of John Baldessari al
Page 232 and 233: 23. Ad Reinhardt:Paintings, p. 12.
Page 234 and 235: The experiences and motivations of
Page 236 and 237: Photography is a product of the non
Page 238 and 239: task of discovering underlying orde
Page 240 and 241: But the artist has that same obsess
Page 242 and 243: IV 1970
Page 244 and 245: as any kind of art; it can’t clai
Page 247 and 248: excerpts from speculation (1967-197
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194 (One dividend of such an approa
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196 In the context of visual art wh
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on exhibitions and the world at lar
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200 is common property, the same wa
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202 to other artists (3) access to
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notes towards art work charles harr
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206 objects, or to pretend that cer
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208 remarkable to pick up the ball
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introduction to art in the mind ath
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introduction to information kynasto
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214 artists use the mail, telegrams
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alice’s head: reflections on conc
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218 reproduce some recent objects w
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de-aestheticization harold rosenber
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222 taken place are, one earthworks
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contemporary colonial art luis camn
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226 The achievements of the Metropo
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228 class, thus consuming those tra
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230 the movement’s pure political
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Style, whether of the hands or of t
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V 1971-1974
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M.C.: Academicism and repetition ap
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19 Allan Sekula, Meat Theft/Disposa
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university departments. It is one s
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Such things go beyond established h
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ules of thumb victor burgin . . . a
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250 are required to recognize unequ
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252 Ifwe imagine, by way ofanalogy,
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254 conceive ofa “semantic thresh
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20 Adrian Piper, page from Foodfor
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tions.” Each of the arts is, in f
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natural. Roughly, where Pinacotheca
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considering more than just one prec
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whether we do or do not want a majo
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the trouble with art-as-idea max ko
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270 For though he may be very const
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272 For our commerce with art may g
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274 effective way for the artist to
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276 to be an affair exclusively of
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22 Fred Lonidier, 29 Arrests, 1972,
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in the physical world, and not end
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production for production’s sake
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l’art conceptuel michel claura an
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288 1 — The work can be reproduce
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290 THE POLITICS OF CONCEPTUAL ART
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postface, in six years: the demater
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24 Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Washing,
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thing, or talk; or find ourselves b
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are hit by the social and political
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from taxes and partial funding of t
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sarah charlesworth, ian burn, josep
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a declaration of dependence sarah c
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310 regarding patterns of legitimat
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312 might be centered around my inv
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314 naive preoccupation, a romantic
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316 medium, a methodology, and not
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25 Mary Kelly, Daily Schedules (1 o
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Given this, shouldn’t we be scrut
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But this sort of manipulative marke
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familiar with how “high art” ha
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ernism, but also most issues of Art
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Finally, we must not forget to emph
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function more efficiently? I find i
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7. For discussion of this era, see
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With the door to politics closed by
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curating it at the MOMA; Greenberge
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e described as a formalism of anoth
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of mouth circulation, until the mom
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The historically evolving unconscio
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historical way. It is impossible to
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3. I count curators, dealers, and h
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26 Fred Lonidier, The Health and Sa
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sentimental about (American) histor
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a concept of history as involving c
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Don’t think that artists are some
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to be bien pensant ...ornottobe.tob
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documentary and corporate violence
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362 Looking backward, at the art-wo
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364 disease, hospitalization, and e
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to argue for a video of representat
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368 make explicit the connections b
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notes on reading the post-partum do
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372 THE DISCOURSE OF WOMEN’S PRAC
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374 ognitions.” See Jacques Lacan
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moments of history in the work of d
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378 the miserableness of everyday i
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380 The component units possessed n
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382 in later notes on Schema: “Bu
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384 (1969), goes further than the p
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386 EPILOGUE OF THE IDEA OF USE VAL
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388 14. Dan Graham in a letter to t
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VII memoirs of conceptual art
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It is well accepted that capitalism
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a supervisory role. While the execu
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industries of art history departmen
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sion was “voiceless,” incapable
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outside of the expected precincts o
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emphasis on material aspects (uniqu
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But each of the above attitudes con
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9. To give one instance, consider t
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statements cildo meireles I remembe
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412 work with an object, because th
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wall language becomes an object to
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A nonvisual abstraction such as “
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with the art that these “proto-Mi
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In addition, Duchamp saw the proble
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on conceptual art adrian piper I tu
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statement robert barry If there was
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In the early 1970s, in response to
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working with shadows, working with
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434 They were l’air du temps you
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436 careful not to withdraw the obj
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438 it was possible to do a show in
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440 S.S.: I think all art movements
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we aimed to be amateurs art & langu
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444 as to how this amateur might fi
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446 To be sure, these Indexes did n
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448 The facts of who did what, how
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was to work on the concept of art,
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M.K.: For me, the impossible object
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cerns around 1980. Sometimes it see
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M.K.: But her work amounts to much
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intention(s) joseph kosuth INTENTIO
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462 the distance between the art hi
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464 the question remains, does the
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466 objects. Just as the grunts and
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468 7. Rosalind Krauss, “We Lost
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such an assessment. According to An
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(create) the conditions . . . we ha
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Try and imagine Rockefeller and his
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DOCUMENT VI, 1975 The Anti-Imperial
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6 — What is,who constitutes the
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lated mainly by Corris, Heller and
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Corris, Heller and Menard re-groupe
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NOTES 1. See my “The artist out o
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to Duchamp. It brought me an infusi
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from its inception for New York art
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“dada—situationism/tupamaros—
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494 the ownership imperative and d)
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496 following (Marta Traba for exam
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498 were the economic circumstances
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500 ism was a matter of coincidence
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VIII critical histories of conceptu
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to build a critical memorial to tha
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ately around this dynamic, display
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endeavored above all to come to ter
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post-1945 American art is symptomat
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it managed in the process to drive
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on the study of visual objects—ca
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to be given primacy over the visual
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some of the crucial foundations for
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systematically as the representatio
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virtue of the artist declaring the
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early work of Robert Barry (such as
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Wall of Plaster or Wallboard from a
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acts of petit-bourgeois anarchist r
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Mallarmé—in which the first Engl
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experience. In that process it succ
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to the thing at all. There is a cer
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15. Michel Claura, at the time the
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The avant-garde of the late 1960s a
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Modernism. The first assumption is
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Such rewritings are understandable
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the early work of Art & Language an
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political subject matter—was demo
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modernism by restoring distanced se
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For Marchán Fiz, the distinguishin
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ment of New York would play a pivot
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analysis of the self-reflexive or s
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vesting reality with meaning. The r
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5. A glance at the catalogues that
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15. The constitutional government o
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unwritten histories of conceptual a
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566 of visuality” or “suppressi
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568 In Jeff Wall’s view, that iso
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