“… Deductive reasoning is also the central process whereby New York artist Dennis Oppenheim (*1938) looks upon the world. Explaining his earth projects in a 1969 interview, he notes that the hole inspires the question “of where exactly is the object. […] Is your piece the entire globe with a hole in it? I’m sure it is. […] I know your focus can be twofold. There’s the negative area, but there comes a point where the negative area ends and the terrain begins and extends”.
“Paola Junqueira (*1963), a Brazilian artist who lives in Geneva, has been applying the observation method formulated by Smithson and Oppenheim to a series of experiments on a longer term basis (1998-2008). Her work process involves excavating holes in different sites around the world in order to document, in photographs and on video, how they integrate into and affect the surrounding landscape. Having obtained the requisite permit, she digs the hole within a strictly defined work period. In the process, she also records her dealings with neighbors and passers-by, transforming her ’24 hours of a hole’ into an experiment in establishing a settlement.“
Susann Wintsch
«Rousing the snakes by beating the grass – Conceptual Art Strategies for the public.» SWISS ART 2/04 – Here we are! Art et Public, Bern, p.55
Full article in german:
– Online: www.e-periodica.ch
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Konzeptuelle Strategien der Kunst für die Öffentlichkeit