In 1969, an American artist by the name of Robert Barry makes a poster for an exhibition entitled Inert Gas: Helium. No date or location for the helium releasing event is provided. Only the address of a post-office box and a phone number to an answering machine describing the “work” is mentioned.
Major question: where is the work of art? Is it in the photograph/documentation of the so-called event? Perhaps the poster? Or the answering machine itself? The actual release of gas into the air?
We can argue that all or none of these dimensions are the work of art — or we could argue that Barry’s idea, the manifestations is the work of art.
Simply put, the articulation is enough. All objects and materialization are secondary, where aesthetics, expression and artistic skills don’t really matter. Conceptual Art goes against traditional modes of modern Art that prioritizes all of this! How rebellious.
There is an element of political undercurrent to this concept. Significance of the 1960s packed with social conflicts. Just think about the complexity of this: Civil Rights movement, US involvement in Vietnam War, Student movements, Social activism (anti war, gay rights, feminism, black power movement) to name a few…
But let us revisit 1917, the precursor to Conceptual Art, Marcel Duchamp.
What devalues initial artistic qualities of Art more than a urinal? A urinal placed inside a museum.
It can be argued that Fountain is the manifestation, the idea of Duchamp’s. This idea depends on two things: his artistic declaration and the critique of institutions — the fact that it is displayed in a gallery and not a restroom — constitutes it as art. In other words, dematerialization and de-emphasis on art as a commodity is at the core of Conceptual Art.
(But no… art always becomes a commodity. Art will always be a full manifestation of context)
Conceptual artists are borrowing this idea of Duchamp’s to challenge the total utterance on the art market; how do you then buy & sell ideas?
The Idea > Object
Ultimately, the intellectual exchange between the artist and viewer becomes more important than the art object itself. It dreams the object as arbitrary, rather using texts, instructions, and focusing on language.
What issues does Conceptual Art raise and what does it critique?
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