Lawrence Weiner pushed the limits of when an artwork becomes art.
This emerged from the broader abstraction and dematerialisation of art that unfolded from the 1920s through the 1970s. Klein, and especially Weiner, brought that trajectory close to its edge.
I believe Ad Reinhardt, Malevich, and others did something similar with painting, reducing it toward a kind of terminal state where almost nothing remained except the condition of painting itself.
What fascinates me is that a complementary form of thinking now becomes possible again, not in physical space, but in the digital one.
For the first time in decades, artists can once again question where the artwork actually resides:
in the image, the code, the network, the protocol, the transaction, the consensus, the behavior around it, or somewhere dispersed between all of these things.
I believe @SHL0MS , @mitchellfchan , @JanRobertLeegte , @mathcastles , @MattKaneArtist , @sovrnart (R. Chang), @kimasendorf , @kevinabosch , @muratpak , @jamesbloom_ , @isthisanart_ , @newrafael , @REAS , @harmvddorpel , JODI, and many others continue exploring that territory.
It feels less like a return to dematerialisation, and more like the discovery of a new material altogether.
The strange thing is that much of the art world still seems unaware of this, even while desperately searching for the “next” new thing. Perhaps because this new digital materiality does not fit easily inside galleries or traditional markets.
But for many of us interested in digital art, that sense of exploration and excitement is definitely here.
Wow, this is the first time I’ve gone viral ;) As a thank you for sharing and following me, here’s a more readable version of the Cybernetic Serendipity 1968 exhibition catalogue. Credits for sharing @thedigitalmona !
https://t.co/M3m2D2YVUX
Online exhibition Echo, curated by @JanRobertLeegte (2020)
A show about our awkwardness, aches and astonishment with our mediated selves. Do our avatars share our dreams at night?
1 @cassiemcquater, Jennifer's Quest
2 @dzucconi, Repeating Hello
3 @martineneddam, Mouchette .org
Would you like to be the next Art Blocks x @opensea Artist Resident in Marfa, TX?
Apply by Friday, May 1 to be considered for the upcoming slot.
Artists are treated to 4 - 6 weeks in our fully furnished "casita," or guest house, a supporting stipend, an Art Blocks Studio contract, and plenty of time to focus on developing their artistic vision against the open, canvas-like landscape of Marfa.
Apply below👇
Photos from last week with @conniebakshi, Nora N. Khan and @epoch_gallery courtesy of @zeitweitz.
You can wander through the interactive film and exhibition here : https://t.co/utlcXUW1SZ
Thank you @0xassembly and @FWBtweets for supporting our public art programming 🖤
@Catalyst_LA, the community I called home from the start — friendships forged here have weathered sun and storm. All the more fitting that my latest work with @epoch_gallery, Between These Black Waters, was first celebrated here, amongst those I hold most dear 🤍
📷 @zeitweitz