It Is What It Is.

A few weeks ago in class we did a conceptual project based off the artist Sol LeWitt. Each person got a square to hang up on the wall, which was illustrated with a design we picked out of a hat at random. The end result was a 3x4 panel of our combined squares. I enjoyed working on this project and liked the basic idea of it. The active involvement of the viewer used in this project made the piece mean more and made it of more interest. It just wasn’t a piece of work thought up and made by the artist; it was something that you, yourself had helped create and were a part of (hands on art!). Another dimension was given to the piece due to the fact that each time it was made, even though it was the same basic idea, the out come would be different. The putting together of many different pieces into one big final presentation, in my opinion, captured the essence of conceptualism. It didn’t matter what the final visual outcome of the piece was, the idea surrounding it was what was important (the coming together of all of these randomly placed designed squares into something as a whole… Like us humans on earth; a very strong existential undertone).
Although I find the notion of the idea taking precedence over the outcome good (things don’t always come out the way they are intended, so the concept being the main focus is a nice way of looking at it) it leaves room for some concern. Conceptual art begins to cross a line, much like performance art, which leaves you questioning if it should and or could considered art. If the artist doesn’t actually make what you are viewing or what they claim is ‘their’ artwork does it really count? One conceptualist, Stanley Brouwn, declared that all of the shoe stores in Amsterdam constituted as an exhibition of his art. In conceptual art that could work, since it is the idea which matters the most but can that really be considered artwork? Conceptualism is a slippery slope for the art world, making it so artist only have to have a central idea to create something-they don’t even need their own materials/work.
My final evaluation is, like with all things, it depends on the outcome and how the piece is executed. An idea or concept isn’t artwork, it is the beginning in the process to creating art but it shouldn’t be the sole characteristic on which a piece is judged.