Conceptual Art: a Critical Anthology
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Conceptual Art: A Critical Anthology Alexander Alberro Blake Stimson, Editors The MIT Press conceptual art conceptual art: acriticalanthology edited by alexander alberro and blake stimson the MIT press • cambridge, massachusetts • london, england ᭧1999 Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher. This book was set in Adobe Garamond and Trade Gothic by Graphic Composition, Inc. and was printed and bound in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Conceptual art : a critical anthology / edited by Alexander Alberro and Blake Stimson. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-262-01173-5 (hc : alk. paper) 1. Conceptual art. I. Alberro, Alexander. II. Stimson, Blake. N6494.C63C597 1999 700—dc21 98-52388 CIP contents ILLUSTRATIONS xii PREFACE xiv Alexander Alberro,ReconsideringConceptualArt,1966–1977 xvi Blake Stimson,ThePromiseofConceptualArt xxxviii I1966–1967 Eduardo Costa, Rau´ lEscari,RobertoJacoby,AMediaArt(Manifesto) 2 Christine Kozlov,CompositionsforAudioStructures 6 He´lio Oiticica,PositionandProgram 8 Sol LeWitt,ParagraphsonConceptualArt 12 Sigmund Bode,ExcerptfromPlacement as Language (1928) 18 Mel Bochner,TheSerialAttitude 22 Daniel Buren, Olivier Mosset, Michel Parmentier, Niele Toroni,Statement 28 Michel Claura,Buren,Mosset,ToroniorAnybody 30 Michael Baldwin,RemarksonAir-Conditioning:AnExtravaganzaofBlandness 32 Adrian Piper,ADefenseofthe“Conceptual”ProcessinArt 36 He´lio Oiticica,GeneralSchemeoftheNewObjectivity 40 II 1968 Lucy R. Lippard and John Chandler,TheDematerializationofArt 46 Terry Atkinson,ConcerningtheArticle“TheDematerializationofArt” 52 Yvonne Rainer,Statement 60 Hanne Darboven,StatementtoLucyLippard 62 Georges Boudaille,InterviewwithDanielBuren:ArtIsNoLongerJustifiable or Setting the Record Straight 66 Marı´aTeresaGramuglioandNicola´sRosa,Tucuma´nBurns 76 III 1969 Michel Claura,ParisCommentary 82 Gregory Battcock,PaintingIsObsolete 88 Dan Graham,ArtWorkers’CoalitionOpenHearingPresentation 92 Editors of Art-Language,Introduction 98 Sol LeWitt,SentencesonConceptualArt 106 Ian Burn,Dialogue 110 Lee Lozano,DialoguePiece 112 Mierle Laderman Ukeles,MaintenanceArtManifesto,ProposalforanExhibition,“CARE”122 John Murphy,Patron’sStatementfor“WhenAttitudesBecomeForm” 126 Piero Gilardi,PoliticsandtheAvant-Garde 128 Jean Clay,ArtTamedandWild 136 Rolf Wedewer,IntroductiontoKonzeption/Conception 142 Daniel Buren,Beware 144 Joseph Kosuth,ArtAfterPhilosophy 158 Lucy R. Lippard,Introductionto557,087 178 IV 1970 Ian Burn,ConceptualArtasArt 188 Mel Bochner,ExcerptsfromSpeculation(1967–1970) 192 Charles Harrison and Seth Siegelaub,OnExhibitionsandtheWorldatLarge 198 Charles Harrison,NotesTowardsArtWork 204 Athena Tacha Spear,IntroductiontoArt in the Mind 210 Kynaston McShine,IntroductiontoInformation 212 Jack Burnham,Alice’sHead:ReflectionsonConceptualArt 216 Harold Rosenberg,De-aestheticization 220 Luis Camnitzer,ContemporaryColonialArt 224 Cildo Meireles,InsertionsinIdeologicalCircuits 232 V1971–1974 Michel Claura,InterviewwithLawrenceWeiner 236 Jeanne Siegel,AnInterviewwithHansHaacke 242 Victor Burgin,RulesofThumb 248 Terry Smith,Propositions 258 Catherine Millet,InterviewwithArt-Language 262 Max Kozloff,TheTroublewithArt-as-Idea 268 Robert Smithson,CulturalConfinement 280 Robert Smithson,ProductionforProduction’sSake 284 Michel Claura and Seth Siegelaub,L’artconceptuel 286 Lucy R. Lippard,Postface,inSix Years: The Dematerialization of the Art Object, 1966 to 1972 294 Adrian Piper,InSupportofMeta-Art 298 Hans Haacke,Allthe“Art”That’sFittoShow 302 VI 1975–1977 Sarah Charlesworth,ADeclarationofDependence 308 Ian Burn,TheArtMarket:AffluenceandDegradation 320 Joseph Kosuth,1975 334 Art & Language, UK,Having-Your-Heart-in-the-Right-Place-Is-Not-Making-History 350 Art & Language, UK,TheTimelessLumpennessofRadicalCulturalLife 354 Marcel Broodthaers,ToBebien pensant . ..orNottoBe.ToBeBlind 358 Allan Sekula,DocumentaryandCorporateViolence 360 Martha Rosler,ToArgueforaVideoofRepresentation.ToArguefor aVideoAgainsttheMythologyofEverydayLife 366 Mary Kelly,NotesonReadingthePost-Partum Document 370 Benjamin H. D. Buchloh,MomentsofHistoryintheWorkofDanGraham 376 VII Memoirs of Conceptual Art Ian Burn,The’Sixties:CrisisandAftermath(ortheMemoirsofanEx-ConceptualArtist) 392 Cildo Meireles,Statements 410 Ian Wilson,ConceptualArt 414 Dan Graham,MyWorksforMagazinePages:“AHistoryofConceptualArt” 418 Adrian Piper,OnConceptualArt 424 Robert Barry,Statement 426 Victor Burgin,Yes,DifferenceAgain:WhatHistoryPlays the First Time Around as Tragedy, It Repeats as Farce 428 Deke Dusinberre, Seth Siegelaub, Daniel Buren, and Michel Claura, Working with Shadows, Working with Words 432 Art & Language,WeAimedtoBeAmateurs 442 Mary Kelly and Terry Smith,AConversationAboutConceptualArt, Subjectivity and the Post-Partum Document 450 Joseph Kosuth,Intention(s) 460 Michael Corris,InsideaNewYorkArtGang:SelectedDocumentsof Art & Language, New York 470 Martha Rosler,Statement 486 Blake Stimson,“Dada—Situationism/Tupamaros—Conceptualism”: An Interview with Luis Camnitzer 492 VIII Critical Histories of Conceptual Art Jeff Wall,DanGraham’sKammerspiel 504 Benjamin H. D. Buchloh,ConceptualArt1962–1969:FromtheAesthetic of Administration to the Critique of Institutions 514 Charles Harrison,ConceptualArtandCriticalJudgement 538 Adrian Piper,TheLogicofModernism 546 Mari Carmen Ramı´rez,BlueprintCircuits:ConceptualArtandPoliticsinLatinAmerica 550 Thomas Crow,UnwrittenHistoriesofConceptualArt 564 illustrations 1. Christine Kozlov, Sound Structure, 1965–66 5 2. Mel Bochner and Robert Smithson, The Domain of the Great Bear, 1966 11 3. Brian O’Doherty, Scenario for Black, 1967 20 4. Mel Ramsden, Secret Painting, 1967–68 31 5. Hans Haacke, Live Airborne System, 1965–68 38 6. Art & Language (Michael Baldwin), Abstract Art No. 2, 1968 59 7. John Baldessari, Everything Is Purged . , 1967–68 64 8. Martha Rosler, Bringing the War Home, 1968 75 9. Luis Camnitzer, Dictionary, 1969 90 10. Dan Graham, Detumescence, 1969 96–97 11. General Idea, The Garb Age Collection, 1969 109 12. Lee Lozano, General Strike Piece, 1969 120 13. Douglas Huebler, Duration Piece #15, Global, 1969 135 14. Daniel Buren, Recapitulation, 1969 157 15. Vito Acconci, Step Piece, 1970 197 16. General Idea, Orgasm Energy Chart, 1970 209 17. Hans Haacke, MOMA-Poll, 1970 215 18. Mary Kelly, untitled event at the New Arts Laboratory, London, 1970 223 19. Allan Sekula, Meat Theft/Disposal Piece, 1971 240–241 20. Adrian Piper, page from Food for the Spirit, 1971 256 21. Art & Language, Index 01, 1972, installation details 266 22. Fred Lonidier, 29 Arrests, 1972, detail 278 23. Mel Bochner, Axiom of Indifference, 1972–73 292–293 24. Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Washing, Tracks, Maintenance, 1973 296 25. Mary Kelly, Daily Schedules from Women and Work, 1975, detail 318 26. Fred Lonidier, The Health and Safety Game: Note and Scrapbook, 1979, and The Health and Safety Game, 1975, details 349 27. Victor Burgin, Think About It, 1976 356–357 28. Karl Beveridge and Carole Conde´, It’s Still Privileged Art, 1976, detail 365 29. Red Herring no. 1, cover image, 1977 375 preface Compared to other neo-avant-garde movements that emerged during the 1960s, conceptual art is conspicuous by virtue of the lack of serious discussion by art historians and critics over the last two decades. This gap in the reception is particularly ironic given the tremendous influence conceptual art has had on subsequent artistic developments, on the critical discussion surrounding the concept of postmodernism, and on the recognition and use, more generally, of various forms of theory by artists, curators, critics, and historians. There are signs that this deficiency is being remedied, however, with the recent publica- tion of the writings of a growing number of conceptual artists and the staging of large exhibi- tions surveying conceptualism at major museums. The MIT Press has played a crucial role in supporting this renewed interest, so we were delighted when it agreed to publish this collection. Our hope is that it will make a valuable contribution to this resurgence, serving teachers and students of the period as well as artists, historians, and critics. Included in our selection are some of the best-known texts of conceptual art, a number of lesser-known, previously unpublished or untranslated materials, as well as articles and inter- views produced specifically for this volume. Each of these, in its own way, provides considerable insight into the period. The volume is organized chronologically from 1966 to 1977. The final two sections present memoirs by artists involved in the initial historical moment and a selection of the most important critical and scholarly histories of conceptual art written to date. The images we have chosen to include are not meant to function as illustrations but as separate, stand-alone preface documents augmenting the written material. We are grateful to the authors and publishers of the texts and illustrations for granting us permission to reproduce their material. For clerical and editorial support, we are indebted to Diana Dopson and Lora Rempel. For translation assistance, we thank Nora M. Alter, Trilce Navarrete, and Maya Rabasa. For photographic expertise, we are grateful to Anne Naldrett. For recommendations of specific texts and the overall