Presented by: Norman F - Pollack

An Exhibition of
Minimalist and Conceptual Art.

The Two Locations of this Exhibiton

  1. Here on the InterNet.
     
  2. Actual existence in the "real world"
This exhibition is being shown in a shop front,
From Tue 5th March to Sun 24th March.
67 Glenferrie Road, Malvern, Victoria, Australia.
After that display is removed,
it may continue on this WWWeb site,
as a minimalist, post-object, conceptual, entity in a
virtual space.

STOP PRESS: Exhibition extended into April.

minimal
minimal
minimal
minimal
minimal
minimal
minimal
minimal
minimal
minimal
minimal
M i n i m a l i s m   i n   A r t
A   m o v e m e n t   a w a y   f r o m   o s t e n t a t i o n
a n d   d i s p l a y,
a n d   a w a y   f r o m   c o m p l e x i t y
a n d   d e t a i l.

M i n i m a l i s t   A r t   i s   s i m p l e
b u t   an   e x p r e s s i v e   f o r m   o f   s i m p l i c i t y.

Art
Art
Art
Art
Art
Art
Art
Art
Art
Art
Art

minimalist/virtual art

differs from

Virtual-Minimalist Art

in two ways:

If anyone is actually reading this, I must warn you that I am out to offend the Art Critics by denigrating them in the most condescending way that I can.

First Difference:
We have a contrast between a small idea and the idea of something small.

Second Difference:
The pretentious bull-shit that passes for Art Criticism is even more pretentious, and precious, when upper case is used for the first letter of "Art".

Negation of the Second Difference:
Swapping the case actually makes no real difference to this argument, although may appear to do so under some light conditions.

exhibition
exhibition
exhibition
exhibition
exhibition
exhibition
exhibition
exhibition
exhibition
exhibition
My World of Art and Magic.
beauty
beauty
beauty
beauty
beauty
beauty
beauty
beauty
beauty

Conceptual Art

Conceptual Art is in the mind, and has no material form. If it had material form it is called "Post-Object Art".

Pure Conceptual Art can be the idea of something that might have been, but real existence is not required.

What is reality? What is the ontological status of an idea? Is the memory of an idea Post-Object? What if the memory is false? It is still a true idea. The idea is real.

Without minds to think them, the ideas do not exist. Ideas evolved, or were created, along with minds. Some of reality is a figment of the imagination.

Objects with real existence still have no values or meaning without mind to think about them. Real "Art Objects", like virtual art, only have the values placed on them by minds.

There may be objects without minds, but not Art Objects.

object
object
object
object
object
object
object
object
object
object

Directions for seeing the Art Object .


In the distance,
inside the space of the room,
there is a screen.

Behind the screen there may be
an Art Object.

Imagine the object there.
(Perhaps it is a sculpture, or a painting)


What would you place behind the screen,
that is your idea of the ideal Art Object?


However,
I may not have put anything there,
and the space may be empty,
or only occupied by your idea.


It does not matter if the Art Object really exists.
Your idea of it exists.

If you remember this exhibition, it has meaning:
conceptual art only exists while it is remembered.
gallery
gallery
gallery
gallery
gallery
gallery
gallery
gallery
gallery
A Photograph of the "real" exhibition.
sculpture
sculpture
sculpture
sculpture
sculpture
sculpture
sculpture
sculpture
sculpture
sculpture
sculpture

Some notes about the "Art Object".



It does not matter if it really exists.

What if it is very small?
That is part of the minimalism.

You are only experiencing this for a fleeting
moment as you hurry past to somewhere real.
That is part of the minimalism.

If it is so small,
that you question its existence,
that is minimalism.
Perhaps it is just an idea.
There is only one object,
in a vast space.
That is part of the minimalism.
virtual
virtual
virtual
virtual
virtual
virtual
virtual
virtual
virtual

Is all virtual art conceptual?


The concept of "virtual art" has arisen with the idea of a cyber-space that can be inhabited by conscious minds and which is independent of the so called, "real world". The expression "virtual reality" stands for an alternative reality, perhaps in other dimensions or in a mathematical complex plane.

"Conceptual Art" was a new movement in Main-Stream Art in the 1960's and '70's, when there was a return to the pure "Art pour l'Art" of the early modern movement at the end of last century. Part of the creed of Conceptual Art is that there is no Art Object that can have a commercial value.

This Art movement was also in tune with the slightly left wing, patio-intellectualism that passed for Socialism at during those decades. It also appealed to the Beatnik (which by then had metamorphosed into Beatle) who preferred thought to the actual work of artistic creation.

Perhaps there may be no meaningful difference between these two concepts. Beyond their origins, however, looking at something from different vantage points helps perception.


Your comments will be welcomed.

Links to other Conceptual Art Pages.


© Copyright 1997, Norman F. Pollack