Michelle Amosu 72B
A Study on the work of Duchamp and conceptual artists in “readymade” art Readymade art has always proven to be one of the most controversial forms of expressive art throughout time. It has stretched boundaries for acceptance and introduced the contemporary conceptualist to the world. There are many types, forms, moods and purposes with every piece, yet they still remain as a simple selection of objects readymade. Does readymade conceptualist art deserve the badge of approval and acceptance as art? Here I will discuss the validity of this kind of art and the nature of ‘being’ art with reference to critical artists, revolutionary works and documented reviews and books. “Readymade or ready-made- An object manufactured for some other purpose, presented by an artist as a work of art.”³ The validity of conceptualist art can only be argued if it has some evident and fundamental similarities to other art movements that have settled itself in what we ourselves perceive as art as an individual. To say that a piece of work can be considered as art simply by finding a link between it and other art movements that the world accepts as art is to make an incorrect judgement. Is there actually an exclusive art movement that the world can pinpoint as the definition of art? If the world had such regimented narrow views, how much would you bet that that art movement would be the most literal art movement you can think of? And where would this leave conceptualist work? In the bin I suppose. The similarities I will be looking for will lie in the experience of seeing art, and knowing art when you see it. This is the nature of ‘being’ art. One might say that the realisation of knowing art when you see it strongly relates to the philosophical studies of metaphysics; “that deals with the first principles of being and knowing…”¹. To be and to know that you and I exist is knowledge that is educated by how we can find similarities and differences in the way we react to things and how we experience emotion. Epistemology is also a philosophical theory on “the theory of knowledge, the critical study of its validity, methods and scope.”¹ Both of these forms of study are very similar to the questions and factors on both sides of this argument. Firstly, there are similarities between several art movements that find readymade art within its field: Fluxus Contemporary Kinetic Nouveau Realisme Minimalism These movements are examples of artists from different times, cultures and movements who use conceptualist work to expressively portray their message. Because of the artwork’s interaction with the audience grasping the message or moral of the piece in a way that 1. 2. 3.
Books: Collins English Dictionary & Thesaurus 21st century edition Philosophy terms from “Being and Nothingness” by Jean-Paul Sartre. Articles: “Art or Craft” turner prize special report 2005, Guardian unlimited http://arts.guardian.co.uk/turnerprize2005/story/ Websites: www.artlex.com www.tate.org.uk
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utilizes and satisfies senses in such a manner- it seems as though this form of art was intended to combine “work” and “play” together. The breadth of art movements that conceptualist artwork falls within means that it can take the form of any subject matterwhether it be video, audio, Casts, photography, light, miscellaneous objects or all in big or small installations etc. This therefore revolves around a theme or motive of didacticism- the luxury of being entertained whilst learning something important about the work; which also applies to the purpose of almost every and any art movement. Here, we find our first connection to what we know is art. The matter of entertaining the audience through the physical work itself in search for its purpose came about in my artist research looking at a piece called “beds” by an anonymous artist in 2002. The jumbled but compact structure of “beds” allowed me to return to it with fresh eyes every time, when different perspectives and impressions developed in search for the artist’s purpose and my own interpretation. The disfigurement and dysfunction of the beds piling on top of each other in a way that defied gravity exposed connections with Fluxus artists Fischli and Weiss in the series “David Equilibres/Quiet Afternoon” where each object also seems to defy gravity and reason at first but still appears to be stable in its somewhat random structure. The use of disfigurement and dysfunction reminded me that the face value of the piece was not its definition but its symbol. The disfigured assembly of the beds ironically represented development. The bare skeletal beds pile up on top of each other until the end, where a ready made bed rests floating eerily at the peak of the pile. My interpretation understood that this piece was meant to represent growth in our experiences or could even be an illustration of evolution (the made bed being at the end of the chain…) This piece was critical because it compelled me to ask some important questions. If readymade pieces like this engage the audience to the point where they are left questioning such philosophical issues-why can’t they be regarded as art? To me, the piece seemed just as if not more powerful than a painting or drawing. However, again, there can be different interpretations as to what can be regarded as powerful (like everything else…)an installation or any piece of artwork for that matter may be regarded as “powerful” because it either captivated the audience through identifying and understanding the piece through emotion, or simply because the piece of work has the “power” to entertain. Although “to entertain”, or the word “entertainment” may seem a bit harsh, and exaggerated to describe a reaction to a piece of art, (and this does not necessarily mean it has to be of comic value) but this does explain why some people prefer different things from artists, like or dislike certain movements or love or detest the sight of a pile of empty beds hoisted on top of each other. This is why 1. 2. 3.
Books: Collins English Dictionary & Thesaurus 21st century edition Philosophy terms from “Being and Nothingness” by Jean-Paul Sartre. Articles: “Art or Craft” turner prize special report 2005, Guardian unlimited http://arts.guardian.co.uk/turnerprize2005/story/ Websites: www.artlex.com www.tate.org.uk
FISCHLI, Peter WEISS, David Equilibres / Quiet Afternoon Approx. of 40 photographs, exh. Copies 300 x 400 mm Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery, New York & Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zürich & Monika Sprüth Philomene Magers, Cologne/Munich/London & the artists
Michelle Amosu 72B
the sign of approval on readymade art cannot be trusted purely upon taste. Because if that were so, There would probably only be that terrible narrow minded, regimented perception of art in our galleries again- and everything else, in the bin. A passage in the “Being and Nothingness” book, an essay on phenomenological ontology again proves that the theories of metaphysics can be connected to the validity and “nature of being” of art. “People differ from each other in their reactions to things. But it would also be argued that there is a number of qualities which things have which we are bound to react in a certain way, simply because they reveal a truth about the nature of the world.”¹ Artwork may have ambiguous, literal, multiple or completely non- apparent purposes. But I think that this result is down to the ‘eyes of the beholder.’ I think this is what acquires readymade artwork its unique and aesthetic value. It could be argued that half the creative process is often done by the audience in this form of art. The concepts which the artist has slaved over trying to portray has to be extracted by the viewer standing before the artwork for sometimes extreme lengths of time, pondering, admiring, detesting, or thinking “I could do that, why ain’t I rich?” It is from this standing point that the artwork animates itself within our minds, sometimes forming multiple or paradoxical reasons and meanings. For example, a piece of artwork that I particularly spent a considerable amount of time gazing at was “ladders and violins” by an anonymous artist. It was an image of identical ladders piled on top of each other with an identical violin mounted on different beams vertically pointing at different directions. They were entwined, but resisting to tessellate, stretching upward in a piled mess. The sight of this installation conflicted with the ladders function- to provide a path for people to climb up to rise or to escalate. The artist robbed the ladders purpose by using many other of the same ladder to obstruct itself. This metaphor evoked ideas of self obstruction within relationships and the way we may sometimes self destruct or hinder relations with people. Another idea that came to mind was a paradox. That obstruction and disfigurement was the equation for progression, the progression of music, or to show how diverse music has become to the present day. I understood this because of the several violins placed on different ladders pointing up to rise to higher levels. During my artist research I looked closer at the context that revolves around the art movement, and its place in art history. I read an article “Art or Craft” an issue in the Guardian Unlimited discussing and understanding the purpose of conceptualists work’s motives in readymade art. Guy Dammann also raised some critical points which clearly identified and mapped out the characteristics of readymade work. The headlining issue at hand 1. 2. 3.
The bike and the shed: Simon Starling's 2005 Turner prize installation. Photograph: Tate
Books: Collins English Dictionary & Thesaurus 21st century edition Philosophy terms from “Being and Nothingness” by Jean-Paul Sartre. Articles: “Art or Craft” turner prize special report 2005, Guardian unlimited http://arts.guardian.co.uk/turnerprize2005/story/ Websites: www.artlex.com www.tate.org.uk
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revolved around a turner Prize winner of 2005- Simon Starling’s “The bike and the shed”. Dammann’s stance in the argument is against Starling to be labelled as a “conceptualist”, but does not regard this as the main issuebecause he acknowledges that this is an opinion. Instead, he brings forth what has come of conceptualist art, its establishment, what is expected of it, and the ideas that derive from it. “The disagreement doesn’t matter as much; however, as the fact that Starling’s wooden concoction and oddly adapted bicycle are taken as examples of art in which the viewer’s engagement with some kind of idea is more important than their encounter with the physical work of art.”² Here, Dammann directly identifies the experience of “encountering the physical work of art”. One may say that the audience could discover the moral or purpose of the piece easier if it was rather expressed in a written form. But the idea and the symbol go hand-in-hand as one piece of art. This is the same case as that found in creative writing, eloquent prose and poetry. Literary terms like metaphors, similes, zoomorphism, anthropomorphism, and pathetic fallacy are all ways in which the writer can engage and pull the reader into understanding their ideas through symbolic language. Dammann’s statement also claims that the audience must disregard the physical work whether it looks good to you or not, but to embrace the idea or message. In most cases however, certainly in more contemporary cases, artists attempt to follow rules of didacticism. “To create art, all an artist really needed to do was book some gallery space and strip a familiar object of its usual context- thereby also stripping viewers of some of their habitual frameworks of reference- and uncovering, with luck, some new aspect of the world for them.”² Although Dammann appears to have some serious sceptical undertones as he attempts to sum up the life of conceptualist work beneath his points, they are still valid and true. Dysfunction and disfigurement acts as a very powerful catalyst within readymade art just as its Artlex.com definition indicated. Another reason why readymade art is accepted today is because it has established such a significant mark within art history, with readymade art’s revolutionary artist being Marcel Duchamp. “The beginning point is usually taken to be Marcel Duchamp’s celebrated DUCHAMP, Marcel Bicycle Wheel 1917 Fountain, a work which, for all that 1913 it revolutionised the understanding of art Readymade: bicycle wheel, diameter in the west, consists of a single unplumbed 64.8 cm, mounted on urinal, rotated and signed (originally) by a stool, 60.2 cm high one R. Mutt…Following the initial scandal Original lost and subsequent celebration caused by Collection Arturo Fountain, the “conceptual” turn grew deep Schwartz, Milan roots in the art world.”¹ “Fountain” however, is like no other readymade sculpture I have encountered, because it carries a concept that is much more powerful than any other piece I have seen before. “It epitomises the assault on convention and accepted notions of art for which Duchamp became DUCHAMP, Marcel known.”³I believe that “Fountain’s” Fountain 1917 (original lost) concept is much rather a kind of tribute Readymade: porcelain to the modern conceptualist who has the urinal creative influence to turn something Height 60cm 1. 2. 3.
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Books: Collins English Dictionary & Thesaurus 21st century edition Philosophy terms from “Being and Nothingness” by Jean-Paul Sartre. Articles: “Art or Craft” turner prize special report 2005, Guardian unlimited http://arts.guardian.co.uk/turnerprize2005/story/ Websites: www.artlex.com www.tate.org.uk
Michelle Amosu 72B
readymade into art. That’s also why I love this piece. Duchamp has left us with a urinal to remind us of why readymade art is so much fun. This is an example of a concept that cannot so easily or immediately be understood. Perhaps this was a concept that even Duchamp himself was not aware of when he produced this work, but preceded him. To further develop my studies I conducted a series of practical work to get a better understanding of the nature of conceptualists work. After looking at “ladders and violins” and “beds” I recognised that the fundamental quality in this work was the ability to make the audience think and connect with the work. A couple of Polaroid’s of feet wearing odd shoes on the wrong foot was taken on a plain white floor. The simplicity of the image resembled the simplicity of a gallery wall, so that my viewer could focus upon the feet. However, rather than focusing on a concept, I focused on the reception that I would get from making such an ambiguous piece, receiving several reactions that were bound to be mixed. By making a piece of work which I had not yet developed a considered concept for, allowed me to see it at face value, and understand that conceptual pieces that the viewer does not understand would provoke them, because they seem to revolve around a pointless theme of nihilism. Looking at disfigured works and obstruction in my artist research uncovered some strong bonds with my initial ideas defining what the “grey area” is. In my artist research, I discovered that readymade art is mainly fuelled by the means to strip a manufactured object of its original function and reassemble it into a metaphor. This related to my practical work on the grey area because at face value it also has no immediate answer. The grey area is meant to represent all of the complications we have within our lives, all of our pending answers, unresolved problems, forgotten memories, and everything complex or uncertain within our relationships and bonds. I brought the grey area into this investigation because it manifests itself into everyone’s life. By looking at an issue that everyone experiences in different parts of their lives will allow my work to connect with a lot of people’s understanding of what the Grey Area is. This is why; obstruction was such an important concept to find in my artist research. Obstruction and dysfunction in readymade art gives the same results as the grey area’s mood of uncertainty. The obstruction of the art obstructs the viewer from understanding the purpose. It’s interesting to see however, that artists use such readymade materials to portray a concept that cannot literally be photographed or drawn or painted. Conceptual artists use these materials not to provoke the audience, but only because it is the only effective way to illustrate their ideas. In my further development, I looked at how complications evolve, how and where they come from. Documentary seemed to be the appropriate avenue to follow because it is something that grows and accumulates over time, which collects memories, memories of relations, faces, conversations, events and all the complications in between. Within this broad spectrum of memories I made mixed media portraits of familiar faces and places from the black and purple translucence of photo negatives, collected dates and tracked my every day tasks, even my shopping list. Conceptualist artists who I admire are ones which 1. 2. 3.
Books: Collins English Dictionary & Thesaurus 21st century edition Philosophy terms from “Being and Nothingness” by Jean-Paul Sartre. Articles: “Art or Craft” turner prize special report 2005, Guardian unlimited http://arts.guardian.co.uk/turnerprize2005/story/ Websites: www.artlex.com www.tate.org.uk
Michelle Amosu 72B
dig to the core of themselves for their artwork, ones that pour their essence into their pieces. For the future of my work, I intend to do so in a final installation that brings obstruction, dysfunction, disfigurement and the grey area together to reflect my perception of the grey area in the most effective, expressive way. “Being and nothingness” has also reminded me that treasured memories may not be the same to another. Perceptions of you may even be different to another. And therefore the memories themselves hold a different significance between people. This is why my final piece and any other conceptualist’s work will always be unique- because perceptions are different. If the viewer cannot find any aesthetic value by the appearance of the piece, than it should definitely be acquired through its unique perspective in concept. “And as the Other’s existence reveals to me the being which I am without my being able either to appropriate that being or even to conceive it, this existence will motivate two opposed attitudes: First-The Other looks at me and as such he holds the secret of my being, he knows what I am. Thus the profound meaning of my being is outside of me, imprisoned in an absence. The other has the advantage over me.”¹ I don’t believe that ultimately there cannot be a reason as to why a piece of art is art, no matter how righteous or deplorable the reason may be in someone’s eyes- there is always one, even if a particular reason is not apparent to the artist themselves. I believe that quite often a piece of art precedes them. The validity of a piece of art can simply be acquired even by saying “there was no reason, I just felt like it…” because feeling like you had to create or produce something is the result of something quite therapeutic. Just because the root of the feeling that the artist experienced is still sometimes deeply concealed and may never be understood by the audience, all that I find is relevant is that the artist sought symbolism as the root of their therapy. Symbolism is art. Art is therapy.
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Books: Collins English Dictionary & Thesaurus 21st century edition Philosophy terms from “Being and Nothingness” by Jean-Paul Sartre. Articles: “Art or Craft” turner prize special report 2005, Guardian unlimited http://arts.guardian.co.uk/turnerprize2005/story/ Websites: www.artlex.com www.tate.org.uk