Global Conceptualism: Points of Origin, 1950S-1980s Project oimectors: Luis Camnitzer, Jane Farver, Rachel Weiss Presenting an unprecedented range of material, Global Conceprualism: Points of Origin, 19505-1980 challenges the canonical perception that conceptual art was simply one movement which spread internationally and acknowledges the important local circumstances which gave birth ‘to conceptualis at in regions around the world. This book traces the history ofthis key development in 2oth-century art which was marked by a shift from a consideration ofthe abject to that afthe ides. The emergence of conceptualist at, which coincided with broadly destabiliz: ing sociological and technological trends as the politcal, economic, and social landscapes of large parts ofthe world underwent significant, ften traumatic, transition, occured in two relatively distinct waves of activity: the firs, from the late 2950s to around 1973, and the second fram the ‘mid-1970s tothe end ofthe ‘os. During both periods, conceptualism questioned the idea of art and sought to enlarge the scope of what art could be. The practice was taracterized by a prioritization of language over visuality; a critique cof the institutions of art; and, in many cases, a consequent dematerial zation ofthe artwork. By radically reducing the role of te art objec, conceptualism reimagined the possibilities of art vis-d-vis the social, political, and economic realities within which t was being made. The ole of art was expanded to that of catalyst, stand-in for forbidden speech, exemplification of systems of thought and belie, or vehicle for yaring three decades of idea-based art, this book features works by ‘more than 135 artsts from Asia, Western Europe and Eastern Europe, Latin America, North America, the Soviet Union (Russia), Africa, and Acstralia and New Zealand. This catalogue Is published in conjunction ‘wth 2 major touring exhibition organized by the Queens Museum of Art, jucens, New York. Global Conceptualism: Points of Origin, 1950s-1980s includes 2 foreword by Camnitzer, Farver, and Welss; an introduction by sephien Gann; and essays by Laszl6 Beke (Eastern Europe), Okwui svezor (Arica), Gao Minglu (Mainland China, Talwan, Hong Kong), Claude Gintz (Western Europe), Apinan Poshyananda (South and Southeast Asia), Mari Carmen Ramirez (Latin America), Reiko Tor ‘soperation with Chiba Shigeo (apar), Margarita Tuptsyn (Soviet \Seion). Terry Smith (Australia and New Zealand), Sung Wan-kyung. [South Korea). and Peter Wollen (North America). -prrerea ——Conraiauroes ‘Srepnen Bann: professor of Modern Cultural Staies at the School of Drama, Fim, ‘and Visual ats, Unversity of Kent, Canterbury; author of Poul Delroche: History Painted and Romanticism ond te Rise of Mistry Liszi6 Bece; attic and curator, director ofthe Mucsarmok Palace of Art in Budapest: contributor to Artin Nature and Beyond Beli: Contemporary Ar from ast Centre Europe. Luis Camn zen: att, crite, and professor of art at the State University of New York. Od Westbury, author of numerous books and articles, including New Art of cube, ‘Cuma Swiceo: curator at the National Museum of Moder Art, Tokyo: author of SGendoi juts tsudasu- shi, 3945-1985 (A History of Deviations in Contemporary ‘rt and Bfutsu no geneal chiten The Present Place of Ar ‘Okun Enwezon: artistic director for Documenta Xl Kassel and 2nd johannesburt Biennale: Adjunct Curator of Contemporary At, Art insttute of Chicago founder {and editor of Nk: Journal of Contemporory Afric Ar Jae Fanvex: Ditectorof Exhibitions, Queens Museum of At curator of Out of India: Comemporary Art ofthe South Asian Diaspar: Cal Guo-Qlang. Projects for the 20th Century, Cultural Metin Bath and Across the Pace: Contemporary Korean ond Korean American Ar Gao Mina: crt art historian, and former editor of Meishu (rt in Being trganized “hinaAvant-garde and Inside Out: New Chinese Art co-urator of Fragmented Memory: The Chinese Avant-garde n Exe. ‘Animan Posnvananoa: associate professor and assocate dean for research and foreign atfais onthe Facuty of Fine and Apple Arts, Chulalongkorn University Bangkok; author of Modem Artin Tallad: Nineteenth and Twentieth Centres; curator of contemporary atin Asa: Trodtons Tensions. ‘Mast Canwen Rawine2: Curator of Latin American Ar tthe lack . Blanton Museum of Art, Unversity of Texas, Austin; curator of Cantos Paalelos: Visual Parody In Contemporary Argentinean A7t and Re-Agning Vision: ltemative Currents South American Drawing “Tenny Suir: professor of contemporary at atthe Power Institute, Center for Art and Visual Culture University of Sydney author of Making the Modern: Industry, ‘Anand Design in America andr Visible Touch: Modemsm and Masculinity ‘Suma Wavexvume: art crt, professor of at theory at Univesity of Ia; commis ‘Shner for he two Kwang biennales; autho of Mn Joong Art, Modemism, and Visual Cunure: Creo! ReRection on the Context of Korean Modem Art and Photogroehy and Society exo Tom independent at historian, currently working ona book-length stusy bt icoseka Naojoshi;contbutor to foparese vt Aer z945: Scream Against the Sky and ca! Guo: long, Projects for he 20th Century: Cultural Melting Bah Marsan Tupirsvn independent crater: author of Margins of Sovet At Sociats alam to the Present; Lissitzky: Beyond the Abstroct Cabinet; and Aleksandr Rodchenko: The New Moscow. -Racnet Weiss: Chair of the Program in Arts Administration and Director of Exhibition Stucles atthe Schoo! ofthe At institute of Chicago; cursor of The [eorest Ege ofthe Worl: Aet and Cuba Now author of Por América Lo obra de Juan Frandseo Eso Forthcoming). Peren Woiten: professor of film studies and chai ofthe Depariment of Film and Televsionat University of Calfonia, Los Angeles; author of Signs and Meaning Inthe Cinero: Raiding the teebox: Relectons on Twentith-Cencury Culture; and ‘Singin inthe Rain, Printed ard bound in Span by Artes Grafcas Toledo ‘alable through 0.AP Distributed Art Publishers 155 Sith Avenue, 2nd Flor, New York, LY 20033 Tel (212) 527-4999 Fax: (212) 627-9484 With 27 ustration, 59 in color. Cover: Hiksaka Naoyosh, imitation to Floar Event (ur ivento) 3972-74, postcard 97. Collection ofthe ats. Beck cover Wei Guangaing, Suicide Series (isha xe), October 1988, one of eighteen documentary protographs. Collection ofthe artist.This publication has been prepared to accompany the exhibition Global Conceptual: Points of Origin, 19505-19805, organized by the Queens Museum of Art Exhibition Tour ‘Queens Museum of At, New York, April 28-August 29, 1999 Walker Art Centr, Minneapolis, December 19, 1999-March 5, 2000 Miami Art Museum, Miami, September 35 ~ November 25, 2000, Global Conceptuatism: Points of Origin, 29505-19805 Is sponsored by ATE. Major support is elso provided by the Rockefeller Foundation, the Andy ‘Warhol Foundation forthe Visual Arts, and the Lannan Foundation. Aiitional {nding is from the Peter Norton Family Foundation, Korea Foundation, Trust or Mutual Understanding, The Japan Foundation, Aslan Cultural Councl, Institut fir Auslandsbeziehungen, Shiseido Co., Lc, and the British Council ‘The National Endowment forthe Arts, New York State Council onthe Ars, and New York Council forthe Humanities, a state program of the National Endowment forthe Humanities, provided generous support a Queens Museum of Ar The New York City Building Fusing Meadows Corona Park ‘Queons, New York 23368 ‘The Queens Museum of Art is housed in the New York Cty Bulling wich Is owmed by the City of New York With the assistance of Queens Borough Prasident lare Shulman and the New York City Counc the Museu is supported in part by public funds fom te New York City Department of Cultural affairs. Aditional funcing is provided by the New York State Legislature and the New York State Counciton the Ais. © 1999 The Queens Museum of Art llrightsreserved Edited by Philomena Mariani Designed by linda Flaro Design Printed and bound in Spain by Artes Grafcas Toledo B.L10-122-1999 Paper: Creator sie ‘Typefont: Meta ‘Available through 0.A.P Distributed Art Publishors 155 Sixth Avenue, 2nd Flaor, New York,NY, 10033 Tek (212) 627-1999 Fax (212) 627-9484, ISBN o-960-45149°8 Library of Congress no. 97:075928vw vu 223 240 262 267 272 278 Acknowledgments Marilyn L. Simon Foreword, Luis Camnitzer, Jane Farver, and Rachel Weiss 1 Introduction Stephen Bann 15. Concerning the Institution of Art: Conceptualism in Japan Reiko Tomii {in cooperation with Chiba Shigeo) 31 European Conceptualism in Every Situation Claude Gintz 41 Conceptualist Tendencies in Eastern European Art Lasal6 Beke 53 Tactics for Thriving on Adversity: Conceptualism in Latin America, 1960-1980 Mati Carmen Ramirez 73. Global Conceptualism and North American Conceptual Art Peter Wallen 87 Peripheries in Motion: Conceptualism and Conceptual Art in Australia and New Zealand Terry Smith 99. About Early Soviet Conceptualism Margarita Tupitsyn 108 Where, What, Who, When: A Few Notes on “African” Conceptualism Olcerui Enwezor 119 From the Local Context: Conceptual Art in South Korea ‘Sung Wan-kyung, 127, Conceptual Art with Anticonceptual Attitude: Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Gao Minglu 143. “Con Art” Seen from the Edge: The Meaning of Conceptual Artin South and Southeast Asia Apinan Poshyananda 151 Plates Chronology Artists’ Biographies, Contributors‘Acknowledgments, Globat Conceptualism: Points of Origin, 19505-19805 is bold and groundbreaking attempt to document conceptu- lism in art a5 a worldwide phenomenon originating independently in many places in response to specific local conditions, The exhibition consists of more than 240 works of at by over 435 artists from 30 countries. In keeping with its theme of presenting multiple perspectives, Globat Conceptual isthe result ofa curatorial collaboration involving many individuals Jane Farver, Director of Exhibitions at the Queens Museum of Art, and project directors Luis Camitzer and Rachel Weiss conceived and directed this project together. We thank them for their leadership in assembling an interna tional team of essayists and curators, and for thelt work in bringing this exhibition and accompanying catalogue to fruition, We recognize the international group of cure tors/essayists consisting of Liszlé Beke(Eastern Europe), Chiba Shigeo and Retko Tomi Yapan), Okwui Enwezor (Alrica), Gao Minglu (Mainland China Talwan, Hong Kong), Claude Ginte (Western Europe), Marl Carmen Ramirez (Latin America), Margarita Tupitsyn (Soviet Union), Terry Smith (Australia, New Zealand), Sung Wan-kyung (South Korea), ‘and Peter Wallen (North America) for their contributions in shaping the exhibition and catalogue. We are grateful to Stephen Bann and Apinan Poshyanande for their thoughtful catalogue essays. In its earliest stages, the projeet benefited from the advice of laroslava Boubnava, Graciela Carnevale, Michael Coris, Henny Drewal, Geeta Kapur, Anne Rarimer, Alla Rosenfeld, ‘Stephen Snoddy, Cathy de Zegher, and others. We also aporeciate assistance by Jon Hendricks, André Magni, Susanna Singer, and Kunsiverein Mllnchen, as well as, Randall thagro, UBS Audio Visual, University of Sydney, ‘and BLOWUP Imaging and Max Drummond, MACRAY ‘Specialized Services, Ltd., also of Sydney. ‘The works for this exhibition have come to the Museum from several continents through the generosity of many artists lenders, and contributors. We thank AT&T for their sponsorship ofthis projec. The Rockefeller Foundation, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and the Lannan Foundation provided major support. ‘Additional funding was provided by the Peter Norton Family Foundation, the Korea Foundation, Trust for ‘Mutual Understanding, The Japan Foundation, Asan cultural Councl, Institut fir Austandsbeziehungen, Shiseido Ca, Ld, and the British Council. The National Endowment forthe Art, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the New York Council for the Humanities have also been generous in their support ‘The planning for Global Conceptuaiism was significantly advanced by a conference ofthe curatorial group held at Bard College in 1998; we appreciate the assistance and hospitality provided by Norton Batkin and his staff at Bard, Sondra Farganis, Kathy Goncharov, Jonathan Veitch, Lynne Winters, and George Calderaro ofthe New School University have cooperated with the Museum to bring the exhibition’ curators together again fora conceptualist art symposium at their institution while the exhibition is ‘on view at the Museum. We appreciate the participation of Lucy Lippard and others in the symposium. Linda Weintraub and Robert Thill participated in the developer ofthe exhibition's interpretive materials The publication was enhanced by the expertise of designer Linda Florio an editor Philomena Mariani Itis my pleasure to thank the Board of Trustees, the staff, and volunteers of the Queens Museum of ft for making all our programs possible. This project received the whole hearted support of the Museum's former directoy,Catma, C. Fauntleroy. We recognize Jane Farver, Director of Exhibitions, and curatorial staff members Christina Yang, ‘Skowan Hastanan, Wiliam Valerio, Arnold Kanarvoge!, Alvin Eng, and Paola Morsiani forthe expertise and dedice tion they contibuted toward the realization ofthis ambi- tious exhibition, Special thanks are extended to Assistant Registrar/Assistant Curator Hitomi lasaki for her tireless, devation to this project. The curatorial staff were ably assisted by Interns and volunteers Mihee Ahn, Alexander ‘0 Alexander, Ben Borthwick, Rck Estevez, Seoyeon Kim Georgia Lobacheft, Young Park, Evelyn Samuel, Hyun Shin, Mako Wakasa, Susan Wolman, and Zhang Zhaohui. ‘We also wish to acknowledge the contributions of Robyn Love, Michael Langley, and Maureen Healey. indeed, the planning, presentation, and associated interpretive programming of every exhibition Involve the professional skills and commitment of the Museums entire staff, We thank Cutator of Education Sharon Vatsky, Controller Mary Brown, Director of Development Kesry MeCarthy, Public Information Officer Robest Mahoney, Facilities Manager Louis Acquavita, Manager of Museum Services (Chief of Security Anthony Kemper, and the members ofthe Museum's Administration, Development, Education, Facilities, and Security Departments, Marilyn. Simon Incerim Executive Directorualism: “Peiets of Origin, [epsos-19805 [es comnitzer See Foner ze Fase Weiss ‘This exhibition traces the history of« key development in zoth-century art in which art's response ta bath its, ‘own traditions and te its immediate miieu shifted from 3 consideration ofthe object to that ofthe idea. This shift ‘wth its inevitable destabilization of artistic convention, ‘ccurted in locations around the world in two relatively stint waves of activity: the first, fom the late 19505 to around 1973, the second from the mid970s to the end of the "Gos, The emergence of conceptualis art also coinci ed with broadly destabilizing sociological and technologi- cal trends propelled by large historical forces, asthe pa ite cal, economic, and social landscapes of large parts of te world underwent significant, often traumatic, transition. The first period was shaped in large part by the Cold Wir, with ts bipolar tensions between communism and capita- ‘sm, and its relative political stasis, This postwar period also saw the rise of the “Third World” and the end of most colonial empires. Both developed capitalist counties and the Eastern bloc experienced a similar set of demographic ‘and seclopolitcal shifts: a steady migration of laborers from rural to urban areas; increased food production and ‘access to education; major gains in communication and Information technologies; pharmaceutical advances that contributed tothe sexual revolution; a world boom in tourism. By the 19605, however, It was also apparent that byproducts ofthis growth were ecological deterioration growing economic inequality onthe national and interna tional level, an elaborate international divison of labor, colossal expenditures on the arms race, and another US. var in Asia In response, there was also a worldwide mobilization of student radicalism that peaked in 1968. While the actions of students, intellectuals, and artists involved in rebellcns in Japan, the U.S., Western Europe, Mexico, Poland, Ceechaslovakia, and Yugosiavia, had more cultural than political significance, they would in time mativate larger, less combustible graups of citizens. In Czechoslovakia, political and cultural agitation during the Prague Spring of 1968 precipitated a crackdown by Moscow. Although the Soviet Union would hole! the socialist bloc together for another twenty years by threat of military force, this event marked the end of the Moscow-centered international communist movement. By 1973, further events—the oil crisis, the collapse of the Bretton Woods nancial system, the loss of industrial jobs to developing countries, and the U.S. defeat in Vietnam—would help to bring about the end ofthis period of economic expansion, The frst wave of conceptual, idea-based art that developed during this tine In Japan, Western and Eastern Europe, Latin America, the U.S., Canada, and Australia, esponded to and participated in these massive social and politcal transitions by calling Into question the underlying ideas of art and is institu tonal systems. During the second period, from the mid- 1970s through the end ofthe "Gos, the deaths of Mao Zedong and Brezhnev hastened the changes in China and ‘the Soviet Union that would ultimately end the Cold War. Although a number of Third World countries such as South Korea and Taiwan, and the city-states of Hong Kong and Singapore, experienced “economic mitacles* and rose to First World status, the gap between rich and poor coun- tries widened, Development in the NICs (newly industrial ized countries) replicated the postwar patterns of those regions that had experienced the earlier boom. Staggering changes were prompted by the abandonment of rural agricultural economies, as milions moved to urban areas seeking employment in new industries. Few Third World countries escaped the experience of revolution, military takeover, or internal armed conflict. Accelerated education programs created huge numbers of students who could be easily mobilized: and where there was an absence of real politics and a free press, students, artists, and other intel lectuals were often the only citizens who spoke on bea of the people. As before, the need for an urgent response to social and politcal conditions encouraged artists inthe Soviet Union, South Korea, China, and parts of Aica to abandon formalist o traditional art practiees for conceptu- alist art While inevitably connected by a complex system of global linkages, these conceptualist movements were also clearly spured by urgent local conditions and histories. I is Important to emphasize that the reading of “globalism” ‘that informs this project isa highly differentiated one, In which localities are linked in crucial ways but not subsumed into a homogenized set of circumstances and responses ta them. We mean to denate a multicentered ‘map with various points of origin in which local events are ‘crucial determinants. During both periods, conceptualism questioned the idez ‘of art, notin the sense of negation (as in anti-art), but in ‘order to enlarge and deepen the scope of what art could be, Ar’ role as catalyst, as stand-in for Forbidden speech, ‘9s exerpiification of systems of thought and belief, and as vehicle for dissent became central. The artwork underwent a shift from object to subject. This represented a change in function, purpose, and capability, recasting ofthe ‘abject’s status and meaning, The processes that came 10, signify conceptualist practice—a change in emphasis from the object tothe idea; a proritization of language over, wvu TONTEN ai \isualty a ctique ofthe institutions of art; and, in many cases, 8 consequent dematerialization ofthe artwork — \were set in motion lang before the anointing of Conceptual At, but received such added emphasis and focus as to essentially redefine the nature of the activity. itis important to delineate a clear distinction between conceptual art asa term used to denote an essentially formalist practice developed in the wake of minimalism, and conceptualism, suhich brake decisively fram the histor Teal dependence of art on physica form and its visual apperceptlon, Conceptualism was a broader attitudinal expression that summarized a wide array of works and practices which, in radically reducing the role of the art ‘object, elmagined the possibilities of art vis-8-vs the social, political, and economic realities within which it was being mace. Its informality and affinity for collectivity made conceptualism attractive to those artists whe yearned for a more direct engogement with the public during these intense, transformative periods. For them, the deemahasis—or dematerialization—of the object allowed artistic focus to move from the object to the conduct of art ‘Over time the history of conceptual at has been assimilat ed by critics and historians into postiinimalism, with its focus on materials, techniques, and style. However, even in its most mainstream appearances, conceptual art, while reductionist in form, has been among the most accommo: dating of art movements, open to disciplines as diverse 2s linguistics, systems theory, philosophy, sociology, ethics, lle, theater, history, political science, music, Eastern religions, and poetry. This interdsciplinaity, along with the characteristics noted above, give canceptualism its particular character and importance. Dematerialization of the Art Object ‘The phenomenon of dematerialized art built onideas Introduced by Marcel Duchamp in 19r3 when he signed an ordinary mass produced object (the “readymade”), called ita work of art, and introduced it into the art worl Duchamp catalyzed an awareness of art as a system dominated by language and contest, with meanings determined by consensus and use rather than by qualities inherent in a handmade object. Much of the at produced in the West since World War has been informed by this awareness. The dadaists and surrealists were influenced by Duchamp, as were the neodadaists of the 29505, Many works created by these artists set the stage for conceptual art, as did the happen- ings ofthe 1960s and the multimedia events of Fluxus, ‘Minimalism {also indebted to Duchamp in its use of ready made industral forms, unmanipulated materials, factory fabrication, and mathematical systems) led many artists to conclude that painting and sculpture were indeed deae This notion pushed them to eliminate or deemphasize the object and tur to language, mathematics, and facts abot the known world and themselves for subject matter. Ina broader reading of conceptualism, however, “demate tialization” did not always mean the disappearance of the ‘object, but 2 redefining ofthe role ofthe abject as a cari ‘of meaning, the reinvestment of meaning in preexisting objects, and the attemat to eliminate the erosion of infor ‘mation, Demateralization became a tool to approach at: making in a vray that was more adaptable tothe interests of merging art and daily lfe—an increasingly important concer of postwar artmaking in many countries. While much ofthe impulse toward dematerialization of tr art objector the “uithdrawal of visually,” as Benjamin Buchioh has termed it—arase out of a citique ofthe con madly status of art, dematerialization was also a strates move adopted by artists fora variety f other reasons. In countries with repressive political regimes, dematerializa tion broke the stranglehold of the state in relation to the display of art, What's more, “idea art” was easier to slip, by the censors. It could be made without expensive art materials, and was an affordable way for artists on the geographic margins to participate in international venue: Exhibitions of demateralized art could be organized quic Iyand informally among artists, circumventing both offic and market structures andl orthodoxies, and could be ust 19 criticize those structures. ‘Much of Latin American conceptualism retained and eve! relied on tangible objects and the traitions supporting them, There, according to Mari Carmen Ramirez, concep! lism entailed a process in which, glven the highly polit ized enviconment, “ideology itself became the fundame tal material teality for the conceptual proposition.” Institutional Critique ‘Another definitive aspect of conceptualism is that of institutional ctique which, generally speaking, arose ot cof a concern about the hidden yet determining structure cof power and ideology within the at system. As deplove by mainstream Western artists, institutional critique ‘as derived from an analysis ofthe conditions of late capitalism and of the problematic status of material ‘g00ds, Minimalism’s coo, industrial facture had alveadybeen seen by some critics as a reification of capitalism, Conceptual artists found further targets for attack in aalleries, formalist art criticism, the collection, the marker, and the tangible product, (These attacks were often seriously weakened by the fact thatthe artists, in spite of their ideological stance, still defined themselves within the gallery landscape) This critique, however, was far fron homogeneous, since the institutional landscape in cifecext settings was diverse, miroring the development of local economic and administrative structures. ‘The particular institution, or set of institutions, under scrutiny varied from place to place. In North America and Western Europe, this critique was often undertaken in a “dialectical” manner, to quote Claude Gintz in that artists often pasitioned themselves both inside and outside the at institution. in Japan, theoretical postulatians an concep: tualism identified an “internal” institution, where the idez of “ar” Is most stringently located. In the case of some. Eastern European artists, it was not art institutions per se ‘out rather the ubiquity of institutions overal, and thetr agency on behalf of state ideology, that was seen as the problem. ‘Ait as Protagonist While much ofthe work produced in the early stages ‘oF conceptualism in the market centers remained tied to questions of at and the art system, in other areas concep: tualism became the means for expanding ar to function 35 ‘an act of political engagement or resistance. Evasion of material substance made possible a kind of political ds sent that was too dangerous to formulate in more canetete form. This conceptualism can enly be properly understood in it local context, where it often fulfiled = precise consciousness-aising function Radical forms of canceptualism’s ar-ntoife platform, ‘guided by local political crisis, evalved into activist projects such as Tucuman Arde in Argentina or the Catalan Grup de Treball. The group orientation af much early conceptual work in Eastern Europe, meanwhile, related to “utopian notions of social organization,” and was “intrinsically ‘rtical of statist regulation," according to Lasz16 Beke. Such works offered madels to the undergraund apposition, evident inthe events of 1989-90. For many Latin American conceptualists included inthis exhibition, a key project was refuting the subservient rale the region suffered under US. imperialist influence, This, and the struggle against authoritarian regimes, galvanized much canceptualist work in Latin America. In Japan, the artist collective Biky&td’s slogan “Dismantle the power machine of art” linked their actives to the student radicalism of 1968-69. In the mid-980s, conceptu lists in the Korean Min Joong movement engaged with political issues such as reunification and U.S. support of ‘the Korean military regime through the design of protest In Mainland China, conceptualism was tied to the much broader movement opposing state ideology and an intrusive bureaucracy that culminated inthe events at Tiananmen Square in une 1989. ‘The activist ole prescribed by many conceptualisms played cut cifferently in terms of the physical site ofthe wotks, in some cases (Latin America) prompting an appropriation of ‘the public sphere, while in others (he Soviet Union and later Eastern Europe) a decisively, even hermetically private course of actian vas pursued. This question of public) private space closely paralleled, and had important ramif- cations for, the concept of audience that was operative for these artists. Western conceptualists theorized concep: twalism as a way of displacing the specialist, privileged spectator who typified the conventional at audience. In Russia, conversely, work was propelled by the virtual lack of a public audience for nonconformist art. Meanwhile, Latin American conceptualists often aspired to address and mablize the entire populace. Language and Linguistic Orientation Conceptualism’s affinity for language and linguistic theory ‘was based on the relatively more “elastic” nature of language as compared with abjects, and the fact that lan- {guage promised an open space where art could intersect with other fields and bring art and artists into a mare vital, effective conversatian with society. The use of language also gave artists a means to tackle the problem of offical information by appropriating the space of media or replac- ing oficial Information with their own analysis. Language could sometimes seem to be merely a “negative material” a further consequence of minimalism, character istic of what Joseph Kosuth would term Stylistic Conceptual At, However, the instrumentalization of language could Instead be a more important strategy in developing alter- nate meanings for art, and forthe critical investigation and subversion) ofthe underlying premises of art, As Peter ‘Wallen notes, conceptualism insisted on a megalanguage that was necessary in order for the work to be understood, “and that metalanguage was intrinsic tothe work.” Conceptualism frequently replaced the object with course, Art not only used language, it became“languagelike,” implying that artis @ broadly cultural, rather than personally expressive, activity. For conceptual ist artists, the use of language could be a way of reconst= ‘ting the work of at into an active—interactive—citeuit. Unfortunately, despite such democratizing aspirations, the particular language employed by conceptualists was often obscure, elite, or otherwise not compelling to the Intended audience, causing a short circuit, Inthe traditional African context, as sketched by Oki Enweor, the presence ofa visible abject invariably signals the presence of another which cannot be perceived, but which becomes manifest through linguistic and performa- tive interactions, Additionally language —as used in Frédéric Bruly Bouabré's taxonomic Bété alphabet project— Is a means particularly wel preservation of traditional culture, 1 tothe reclamation and _ Relation to Mainstream Conceptual Art ‘While Western conceptualism generally was derived from the notion of the autonomy of art, in locations such as Mainland China and Africa the absence of such a legacy meant conceptualism focused less on the problematic of the art system per se, and more broadly addressed Issues, between art and life which were also strongly attached to traditional cultural and/or religious foundations. Different locales represented in this exhibition had & variety of responses to conceptual art as it was consecrat ed in New York and London. In Western Europe, the adoption of conceptualist modes had the connotation of acknowledging the new ascendance ofthe U.S. asthe primary center of new art, nd a reorientation to that devel ‘opment, Australian and South African atists connected to canceptualist ideas in London, then sought to transpose those ideas ito the specificities oftheir own countries. Some Japanese art movements including conceptualism, have roughly paralleled events inthe West stylistically, but these parallels also emerged out of eistinct local concerns that included postwar tensions with the U.S. a layering that has caused what Relko Tomi tarms an “entanglement” of local and international discourses. In Mainland China, dada and the precepts of Chan Buddhism were equally important inthe formulation of a conceptualist approach, hile in Taiwan an art-for-art's-sake tracition, along with rowing dissent against a repressive political culture, established the framework for conceptualism. Itis also Impartant to acknowledge that, fr politcal reasons, artists in diferent locales held widely difering positions about thelr relation tothe international main- stream: in some cases (e ‘eager ta be associated with the West, elsewhere (eg, Latin Americe) such an association was anathema. It was probably more comman for such feelings to be mixed, as they were in Australia. Latin America, as Mari Carmen Ramitez points out, has. been for centuries in a “dlalogical” relationship 10 Euro-North American culture by virtue of the colonial experience and legacy, While there are shared referents, to conflate the twa situations is a major distortion—It was and isa highly contested relation. The forces that created ‘modernism or development in Latin America produced radically different effects from those in the colonialist and Imperialist centers, This resulted in an “autonomous ver> sion—or even inversion” f conceptualsm, as understood in the North. Conceptualism’s Legacy Assessments of conceptualism’s importance to contempo- rary artmaking vary, from those who feel it failed because it was quickly absorbed inta art's commecity system, to oth ers who feel that it actually reformed if not revolutionized important aspects ofthe idea of art Many of the intellectu: al constructs of conceptual have been integrated into the present understanding of an artwork, as evidenced by the focus of s0 many contemporary artists on idea, process, and experience; on political and social contexts; 1s well asthe ubiquity of installation, photography, language, earth art, cross-overs to science, mapping, and other systems, and a continued interest n merging art andlife. With ts emphasis on identity (of, among others, at itself), ‘conceptualism provided a framework forthe identity-based art polities of subsequent decaces, and ts declarations against the primacy and authenticity of material goods also laid the groundwork forthe appropriationist and simula sionist strategies of postmodernism. However, conceptual Jsm’s revolutionary politcal aspirations present an uncer- tain legacy. Infact, it has been argued persuasively that it was conceptualism’s status as an “unfinished” project that mace it so influential later on. Laszl6 Beke, however, cied: its East European conceptualism with “perform{ing] “in {ulstic’ function in preparation for the politcal and social transformation ofthe 19805—in other words, a genuinely new aesthetic language was not created in the 19905 because this had been accomplished decades before.” For some artists, the pressure conceptualism brought to bear on the idea of (formalist/modernst) art for ar’ssake led to a painful ar-poitics competition, in which art often last. Examples include those in the New York Art & Laneuage group who abandoned art to pursue evolution- ary politics; Australian lan Bur's and others’ switch from art to labor organizing; members of the Tucuman Arde ‘collective vihe stopped making art for many years, as some ‘went “underground” while afew “d'sappeared”; the Japanese Bikyato grou, who consciously withdrew from ‘making or exhibiting art during 2973: and Hsieh Tehcing, ‘a conceptual artist from Talwan (known for his collaborative piojects with artist Linda Montana) who, at his request, fs not included inthis exhibition because he is refraining from ‘making or exhibiting art from 1986 through December 31, 1999, This politicization ofthe avant-garde was, as Blake Stimson has argued, in conflict with the antipalitical ideals of s94os and "sos bohemian culture, an inevitably reopened even older wounds as art aspired to escape the confines ofits own cloister and become a truly activist force. The Exhibition This survey is constructed in chapters, each derived from the perspective ofthe region under consideration. We extend our thanks to the team of curators, who have placed the idea-based works of each of the regions in their specific sociopolitical context in order to fully appraise thelr impact. stil, the enormaus geographical scope of the exhi bition necessitated abbreviated coverage in vatious ways. Far example, “regions” have been designated according to either geographic or historical conventions, even though these are In some cases problematic in that the grouping of nations according to geostaphic proximity obscures deep ‘cultural and historical differences and implies a misleading overall consistency of activity in that area, Moreover, amassing countries into exhibition chapters attenuates the ceurators ability to focus on national and even individual charactersties, and encourages a reading in terms of “movements” and concerted, widespread activity, which is not entiely accurate in all cases. However, although orga: nized by region, curators have, infact, located various cer- texs and affinities within these regions where conceptualist practices frst emerged. Since camprehensive coverage is impossible, this survey seeks to identify emblematic works and movements, rather than encompass the full range of activity worldwide, An ‘additional tension inthis project has been between the JImpulse to revise existing histories—to “expand and decerter the canan"—and to broaden the scope of dsc sion overall. While this exhibition intends to revise corven- tional historiclatians of conceptual art, it does so through the strategic addition of multiple, poorly known histories, presented as equal corollaries rather than as appendages toa central axis of activity. Limitations of physical space, and of the passible scape of inquly ofa single exhibition, preclude the inclusion of the dozens or hundreds of other artists who are un- or underrecognized. Priority has been given to broadening the geographic scope ofthe definition cof conceptualism, to open up the meaning ofthe term itself to incude a spectrum of artistic intents and responses to teality/cecumstances that goes beyond the limits of the usual (and formally derived) art world scope. Finally, we have had to grapple with the dificuties involved in constructing a museal display out of works which often were intended to counter or undermine the institutions of the museum and the art world. We regret that, unavoidably, Intentions have been blurred and the sacralization of inten- tionally profane acts has accurred in the interest of recover: ing these histories. Given the range and complexity ofits subject, Global Conceptuatis: Paints of Origin, 19508-1980s can never be a definitive account. We sincerely hope athers will, take up the task and further the understanding ofthis important work. To that end, we have invited Dr, Apinan Poshyananda to contribute an essay to this catalogue on the activities of conceptual atists working in South and Southeast Asia today. Since the end ofthe Cold War, South and Southeast Asta, the Middle East, and other rapidly developing areas have seen the rise of identity polis, ethnic cleansing, nationalism, and the theocratic state. Currently, lke others before them, atists in these regions are adopting conceptualist practices in their work, ‘opening new chapters inthis ongoing history. x