Individual Reflection – Conceptual & Activist Art
The time period in which Conceptual Art took place was pivotal in the future of not just North America, but the world, allowing a broader perspective of what it meant to have peace, identity, controversy, violence, oppression, and the list goes on. In a sense, just as we have faced our own challenges the last few years, especially in terms of injustices related to gender, race, and sexuality while also experiencing the tragedy and loss of newly emerged wars, these are the same things that caused people to become activists during the Conceptual & Activist era of Modernism.
It is important to take this lens to Art History as a whole, not just for our own experiences and anectdotes but to continue to do what is right and fair to others, and to be responsible to the planet itself. I feel priveleged to be part of an institution in which the struggles of colonization and the like are spoken to with honesty and a grain of salt, to welcome discomfort, frustrations, and deconstruction of institutions and systems which often only aim to benefit those already rooted in power & privelege. This Chapter feels like, this is partially what the suffering of the world stemmed from around this time – a bridge between the awful generational trauma of the past, to unfortunately even more that would come as a result of years of slavery, oppression and shaming of people with individual perspectives that didn’t match up with the preservation of conervatism and racism or homophobia.
In my Unit #2 assignment, I am learning a lot about just how many people felt that they had to live in secrecy during the larger part of the Modern era – the ways in which they hid their personality, their identity, their love, relationships – the ways they ‘masqueraded’ as other identities, sometimes to gain the access and privelege of the opposite sex, sometimes as a mockery of it, and sometimes that masquerading was simply their actual truth which could often only be spoken in secrecy. So, it is really a wonder and leaves a bad taste in the mouth, to me. So many surfaces of history had to wear another face, just as the people condemning them claimed to be ‘safe’ and offer promises of a better future – and this friction creates not just art and expression, but a greater need for change.
This is why, never can a time come soon enough, for change, for the betterment of humanity, for the values of community to be upheld and respected, treated with care. To listen, to observe without judgment. There is never a time soon enough, and I do feel very passionately about this, and inspired by just how ‘loud’ this era was, because it absolutely needed to be. We still face so many issues today and so many are helpless to speak about them – with all of the access of social media and privelege at our fingertips, many companies and individuals won’t, out of fear of appearing ‘too’ political, too honest, speak up about it. Other onlookers will view it as an inconvenience to be faced with the many truths of our and others’ current realities, but it is the only way to ever change and become better. To sit with that discomfort, and respect it for what it is, and know that it does not have to be that way anymore, or for forever.
One of the benefits of being alive today, however, even if the amount of information can sometimes feel very overwhelming and occasionally (or often for some) riddles the mind with anxiety, is that we get to hear all of these wonderful and unique voices and share in the experience of advocating for others, we simply have to choose it and there is always a platform for us to do so & invite others to.
For conceptual work, I really enjoyed, similar to sculptural artists, how artists are using the space of a studio, the tools that were available – exploring, tinkering with them – thinking similar to engineers or mechanics, or alchemists all at once to yet again turn new mediums and industry into tools, into visual and experiential art. I think that Nam June Paik’s is the most obvious example of this, in the sense of using the new materials that were available to him, and looking at the portfolio of his life, it is not difficult to imagine that he continued to foster his practice based on similar ideas and material. I found it funny and interesting to view his work, specifically TV Garden, because his ‘successors’ in the Korean Pop industry who make music videos today, often repeat this imagery or similar ideas, and it’s fun to make those connections of where something actually originated & that these people clearly wish to not only reference but praise his work – it is still respected and recognized in different avenues.
Nearing the end of our presentation, we all discussed the idea of a summary slide at the end thanks to Carsyn’s contributions. We had a really interesting yet brief conversation about what this era really stood for and what Concept Art really provided to a community, to the world and its main contribution to art from an outer perspective. Carsyn introduced a lot towards the individual perspectives behind the purpose and creation, and just how broad and expansive of a genre Conceptual art is in the sense that, it was really encouraging thought and meant to be an open-ended question or experience for the viewer or participant. I think this is generally a really needed point when it comes to Conceptual, especially when it comes to discussing it in a brief presentation or online – we only get to experience so much from the visual observant’s perspective and reading in textbooks, so we have to dig deeper in order to imagine what it may have felt like to actually experience these new mediums (ie. Peter Campus’s work for instance) while it was still new and exciting, mysterious technology – if you think about it, these artists really could’ve been viewed as part magicians. They certainly would have in earlier times, when the tools that had come out say, towards the Renaissance or post-Renaissance, with technical tools like the camera obscura, mirrors, etc. Not only that, simply of the in-and-out of body experiences of those participating in aforementioned exhibits.
As mentioned previously in the slideshow, the mediums used in this time allowed for a range of reactions and emotions to surge through the participants of the works simply, if anything, due to their close proximity to many of the pieces, and I think it’s interesting how Activism evokes a similar type of energy, unifying those involved or creating tension with those who possess differing views or intentions.
However, I think in terms of practice, one of the important things that can be dissected more over a long period of time when viewing conceptual works (of which there are many, perhaps maybe Mythology was a form of conceptual narrative,) is that any of us as artists can create our own vision of Conceptual art. Similar to the artists viewed in and outside of the texts, it does not take a visual genius, or an exceptionally skilled realist in order to delve into what is already there. If you find something that you wish to take hold of, you can do it, you can become the personal conduit of the concept yourself through expression. I think it’s really a perfect Genre for a jack-of-all trades of art, or someone who thinks out of the box…someone who likes to install change (which I think most artists aspire to to some degree, whether making someone’s day better or otherwise,) or simply anyone who wants to experiment and push the boundaries of their own thought process. It has me thinking about how I can incorporate this into my own projects in the near future & has exciting potential for collaboration as well.
It’s been an absolute pleasure and joy to work with Anne, Carsyn & the other students during the peer work on this assignment. I really feel like I’ve learned a lot from them and been inspired by the hard work, and thorough research that they put in at all times. Their perspectives are of great value to the work we are doing (as all of ours are) and in considering my own practice and research moving forwards as well. They’ve been very supportive, positive and upbeat throughout and I really appreciate that.
Works Cited / Sources
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/210696
History of Modern Art (H. H. Arnason / Elizabeth C. Mansfield)