Conceptual Art

Providing a re-examination of what Osborne identifies as a major turning point in contemporary art, this monograph takes a chronological and stylistic look at conceptual art from its “pre-history” (1950-1960) to contemporary practices that use conceptual strategies. Osborne surveys the development of the movement in relation to the social, cultural and political contexts within which it evolved. With extended captions, key works are compiled according to ten themes that also serve to present a collection of critical texts, artists’ statements, interviews and commentaries. Includes biographical notes on artists (6 p.) and authors (2 p.), a bibliography (2 p.) and an onomastic index (4 p.) Circa 150 bibl. ref

Following Piece

Part of the exhibition "Street Works IV", Architectural League of New York, October 1-31, 1969. The terms of the exhibition were: anytime during the month, do a piece using any steet in New York City. My piece, then, was designed to use, potentially, all the time alotted, all the space available. Each day, I pick out a different person, at random, in the street, any location: I follow that person as long as I can, until he/she goes off into a private place - home, office, etc. A following episode might last two or three minutes (a person gets into a car, I can't grab a taxi in time, I can't follow); a following episode might last seven or eight hours (a person goes to a restaurant, a person continues his/her evening by going to a movie...) The next month, there's a follow-up to the FOLLOWING PIECE: each day, a letter is sent to a different person, somewhere in the United States - each letter describes the particular details of the following episode that occurred on that day, one month before. A month after that, there's a follow-up to the follow-up: each day a letter is sent to a different person, outside the country - each letter notates the letter sent on that day, one month before, each letter describes the following episode that occurred on that day, two months before.full view, photodocumentation of performanc

Plan vidéo en 10 points

Acconci Vito. Plan vidéo en 10 points. In: Communications, 48, 1988. Vidéo, sous la direction de Raymond Bellour et Anne-Marie Duguet. pp. 215-216

Think / Leap / Re-think / Fall

"Working notebook for a piece called 'Middle of the world', Wright State University Art Gallery, Dayton, October 1976." -- p. [1] of cover

Trademarks

September 1970 "Biting myself: biting as much of my body as I can reach. Applying printers' ink to the bites; stamping bite-prints on various surfaces."full view, photograph of artist biting himsel

Pryings

Pryings is a video recording of a performance by Vito Acconci in public with Kathy Dillon at a New York university. The artist shows a situation in which he is trying by force to open the eyes of the woman who stubbornly persists in keeping them closed. The camera follows the action of the couple by focusing on the chests of two of the protagonists. He pulls at her eyelids while she keeps her eyes shut tight. She tilts her head forwards and backwards, but he takes it in his hands and straightens it again. When her long hair covers her face, Vito Acconci sweeps it away with one hand and keeps the woman against him with the other. He pulls on her skin again and one eye opens, but the woman hides her iris by turning her eyes in their orbits. The white eye sees nothing. She struggles, pulling with her the body of the artist who holds her by the shoulders. The couple's tension is a source of emotion. The live soundtrack gives an idea of their movements and, in particular, Vito Acconci's breathing becomes louder with the physical effort. This struggle represents tensions - rather than oppositions - in couples of forces: feminine/masculine, open/closed. Vito Acconci experiments with the action of one individual aware of the other (open to the outside) on an individual closed in on herself. The non-resolution of this situation highlights the resources used in the performance. In Vito Acconci’s conception and the logic initiated by his introspective actions - filmed in Super 8 - the performance has physical resources, the body as place or medium, and a clearly delimited space. Pryings is a representation of the performance as an artistic process and medium, and a metaphor of the idea "opening someone's eyes".film still, Acconci attempting to force open Kathy Dillon's eye with his hand

Seedbed

Performance/installation piece at Sonnabend Gallery, New York. Hidden under the ramp in the gallery, he responded to the footsteps of visitors by materbating, transmitting his verbal fantasies and moans of pleasure back to them via a sound projection system. Through his act, the visitor becomes involved in the intersubjective articulation of 'artistic" meaning as well as the meaning of artistic subjectivity and interpretive exchange.full view, Acconci masturbating under the ram

Seedbed

Performance/installation piece at Sonnabend Gallery, New York. Hidden under the ramp in the gallery, he responded to the footsteps of visitors by materbating, transmitting his verbal fantasies and moans of pleasure back to them via a sound projection system. Through his act, the visitor becomes involved in the intersubjective articulation of 'artistic" meaning as well as the meaning of artistic subjectivity and interpretive exchange.full view, ramp installation at Sonnabend Gallery, New York, January 197

Trademarks

September 1970 "Biting myself: biting as much of my body as I can reach. Applying printers' ink to the bites; stamping bite-prints on various surfaces."detail, bite make with saliv