Felix Gonzalez-Torres, a new favorite.
The amazing thing about art is it's unique ability to induce empathetic/ understanding spaces. In my "Art Theory and Criticism: Postmodern Perspectives in Art" course last term, I struggled. The title alone was daunting. Reading about pieces and theories about marginalization of race, women, and the queer community I just couldn't relate. One day I asked my professor, a man I deeply respect a simple and totally naive question: "I am not a gay man in contact with the AIDS crisis, how am I supposed to understand this work? The answer was Felix Gonzalez-Torres.
The amazing thing about art is it's unique ability to induce empathetic/ understanding spaces. In my "Art Theory and Criticism: Postmodern Perspectives in Art" course last term, I struggled. The title alone was daunting. Reading about pieces and theories about marginalization of race, women, and the queer community I just couldn't relate. One day I asked my professor, a man I deeply respect a simple and totally naive question: "I am not a gay man in contact with the AIDS crisis, how am I supposed to understand this work? The answer was Felix Gonzalez-Torres.
Two Perfect Lovers
Two generic clocks are set side by side set to the exact same time to run on the same brand of batteries. Naturally one battery begins to slow and the clocks lose synchronization. Eventually they both slow, one before the other until one stops completely and leaves the other ticking on.
If that doesn't pull your heart strings I dunno your species.
So this is the artist I decided to engage in dialogue with my final. He did a series of paper stacks and candy spills each questioning the idea of the economy of the gift as posed by Nicholas Bourriaud, granddaddy of Alter-Modernism. This idea investigates the dialogue and exchange between audience and work as the actual art piece and actually more important than the piece itself. I reproduced this piece on campus.
"What asshole wasted this paper?"
Phillistines.
Phillistines...
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