Participating artists:
Cory Arcangel (US), Anna-Sophie Berger (AT), Julie Bena (FR), James Clarkson (UK), Silvie Defraoui (CH), Anežka Hošková (CZ), Sandra Lorenzi (FR), Marlie Mul (NL/DE), Richard Nikl (CZ), Michal Nesázal (CZ), Hynek Poul (CZ), Justin Sanchez (FR), Scheltens & Abbenes (NL), Aleksandra Vajd & Hynek Alt (CZ/SLO), Ola Vasiljeva (NL/LV)
curator: Michal Novotny
1.
There is no such thing as conceptual art. The dominance of concept over the form is a superficial and non-existent one. Formality is overall. Form can be only conceptual. All art is graphic design. Everything is design. Aesthetics is the only ethics possible.
2.
This exhibition doesn't want to show art which (re)present things, nor things which (re)present the look of art, but things which are things and art in the same time, or even better "any-thing" which simply fall out of this distinction.
The works presented in this exhibition follows techniques used in graphic design and in product communication having in its centre an object - a thing, which they represent as 2D staged image even though the result might be actual sculpture, installation or performance.
Those works often raise the uncertainty when it comes to their purpose, definition and form. It is exactly because they don't respect the categories of art and design. Commercial aesthetics and applied art form are here however not appropriated to underline the difference between fine art and commercial industrial sector as it is in the case of ready-made or pop art movement. Nor it is the aim to create artworks engaging processes and materials typical for industrial sector as it was the case with American Minimalism. But the artists also not develop objects with the form of design for these to be taken as prototypes, design research studies or to be serially produced. Artists simply extended the field of contemporary art behind another of its limitation - the aura of the conceptual art provided by the context of art gallery. Exhibited artworks do not play with us any game, they're exactly what they are, entirely design pieces and entirely artworks, as the two are one.
3.
Our experience of these artworks is allowed and their very existence grows from the fact that we find ourselves in the world where reality consists of images, or rather, of things, constellations, and processes formerly evident as images. We are so used to the framing of the camera, studio over-exposed compositions and Photoshop effects, or the fast cuts of edited moving image that our own reality is perceived as an image. Canadian filmmaker Terence McKenna in 1989 responded to the question, ‘Are we going to be like we are in movies in future?’ with a short answer: ‘We are the movies." Form became a genre - something expressing meaning towards and through following or violating the rules we - all sophisticated spectators - apriori know and can't avoid.
4.
Artworks are exhibited as staged digital images and should be as such perceived.
Michal Novotny
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The exhibition runs until June 15th, 2014
FUTURA
Holečkova 49
Praha 5, 150 00
Opening hours: wed-sun 11am-6pm
thanks to Holečkova Appartements
Cory Arcangel, Anna-Sophie Berger, Julie Bena, James Clarkson, Silvie Defraoui, Anežka Hošková, Sandra Lorenzi, Marlie Mul, Richard Nikl, Michal Nesázal,
Hynek Poul, Justin Sanchez, Scheltens & Abbenes, Aleksandra Vajd & Hynek Alt, Ola Vasiljeva, Michal Novotny, Futura, Prague