Having now started our readings for class this book is a
wonderful read. The way Claire Doherty has put this series together documenting
major themes and ideas in contemporary art is pretty interesting. The writing
style itself I found to be a bit tricky at first to read but once you break it
apart slowly and go over each artist’s surveyed it becomes easier. Some topics
that really stood out to me were the meaning of place, the role of the artist, the
role of the curator and the relationship between action and public space.
One of the documents in the text
that I want to expand on is the one by Michael Asher about his exhibition at
Galleria Toselli, Millan, 1973. His proposal for the exhibition was to have the
walls and ceilings completely sand blasted so that every layer of white paint
that had been covered over the years at the gallery was removed down to the
underlying plaster. He states how it took four days to work on the removal with
a small group of people. I found it so interesting and amazing when he writes
about how the process of subtraction was also a process of addition in the
sense that the exposed plaster is something someone could view as added
material. The really amazing part
to me that Asher has pointed out through his exhibition and talks about is how
the white display surface walls are such a fundamental part of the gallery
space and presentation of works in a gallery. Its funny how the plaster then
becomes just as important and integral as the crisp white walls of a gallery.
I did a creative response to
reading this at home in my own bedroom. I stripped it down to the bones by
moving my furniture away from the one side. The pictures show before and after
and as I was doing this I was surprised about how it made me feel. It’s a space
that I am in every single day but have never really thought that intensely
about the space itself before. Seeing it emptied out and just sitting in the
space created a wave of emotions. What an interesting experience!
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