Page 21 - Studio International - December 1969

response absolutely intrusive; a kind of filter CH: Do you think then that every exhibition dealers, critics, exhibition organizers, etc.?
between the work and everyone else. organizer has only a limited time before his ss: Yes, very definitely. I doubt whether
ss: It's a question of where an artist will give activity becomes harmful to the artist? artists have ever been so articulate about
up his choice. This is a vitally important ss: Only if he's successful. Yes. Because his what they're doing as they are right now. 1
difference between the new work and what opinions begin to become more important CH: So what's the nature of the new relation­
has preceded it. Whereas painters have gener­ than what his opinions are about. ship?
ally never specified how much light their CH: Important for whom? ss: There are really two types of people:
paintings should be seen by, what size wall ss: For the people who are aware of the exhi­ artists and everyone else.
they should be hung on-they have left it up bitions he is doing. CH: Artists have art and everyone else has
to you implicitly -:-- this new body of work CH: Do you think the development of this relative amounts of power to manipulate or
explicitly denies any responsibility for presen­ situation can effect the artists? promote art. So where's the relationship and
tation. All you need to see a painting is light. ss: It can only be detrimental to the artists for what's new about it?
This new work doesn't even concern itself the same reasons. ss: The need for an intermediary begins to
with that. The question of what environment CH: Do you think this now means that it is become lessened. The new work is more
you see the work in has nothing to do with dangerous for artists to be associated with you? accessible as art to the community: it needs
what has been done. If it is made clear that ss: I don't know. Certainly right now it is. I fewer interpretive explanations.
the presentation of the work is not to be con­ may be a total bind. I don't really know. CH: Do you think art ever needed interpretive
fused with the work itself, then there can be There are certain artists who interest me right explanations?
no misreadings of it. If an audience is made now who would conceivably be the focus for ss: I don't know anything about history, but
aware of an artist's work and he knows that some interests of mine. I feel my dilemma now the art we're talking about seems to be much
how he is made aware is not within the artist's is to be able to deal with art generally but not more self-explanatory than any other. It just
control or concern, then its specific presenta­ get involved specifically with specific artists. goes from mind to mind as directly as possible.
tion can be taken for granted. Everyone's pushing artists; which is OK, but The need for a community of critics to explain
CH: How do you make it clear? I want to move away from that. it seems obviously superfluous right now.
ss: The standardizing of the exhibition situa­ CH: Is there anything to move into? CH: Is this perhaps because they have fewer
tion begins to make the specific intentions of ss: I don't know. I'm still interested m specifics to deal with?
the artists clearer. distributing art and art information. I person­ ss: Yes. I think a basic underlying tendency
CH: Do you feel that this new work cannot, ally value my network of booksellers and my in all art today is the ability of the artist to set
by its very nature, be misused as earlier work mailing list throughout the world as a very general limits and not care about being
has often been in mixed exhibitions? important aspect of what I do. I am con­ specific. The tendency in practically all art
ss: No. By selection you could choose ideas cerned with getting art out into the world and today is towards generality about how things
between artists that parallel each other, just plan to continue publishing in multilingual look rather than what specific things look like.
as you could pick up fifty stripe paintings and editions to further this end. This is a very CH: How can this be made explicit in
make them look more alike than they really important communications consideration. exhibitions?
are. You could load any exhibition situation American museums, with typical chauvinism, ss: By organizing exhibitions in which the
in the same way. Orienting a show is not any never publish in more than one language-just general conditions are proposed to the artists
more or less possible than it was when paint­ English. and the decisions about specifics are left
ing was painting and sculpture was sculpture. CH: This implies that despite being a New entirely to them. Artists are the best judges of
You can still make anything look like what you Yorker, you are interested in decentralization. their own work. The general feeling one got
want it to. Figures don't lie; accountants do. ss: I think that New York is beginning to from Harald Szeemann's show 'When Atti­
CH: So how has your function as an exhibition • break down as a centre. Not that there will be tudes become Form' -the nonchalance of it­
2
organizer been different from anyone else's? another city to replace it, but rather that where did much to enhance the viewing situation for
ss: By keeping the exhibition situation as uni­ any artist is will be the centre. International individual works.
form as possible for each and all of the artists activity. It is more important to send artists CH: Maybe the most important thing a critic
in the exhibition and not relying on outside to exhibitions than to send art. Art centres or organizer or whatever can do is to draw
verbal information like catalogue introduc­ arise because artists go there. They go there attention to what is art by isolating what is
tions, thematic titles, etc., I've tried to avoid because of (I) geographic and climactic factors not and acting to devalue it. 3 [sEPT. 1969]
prejudicing the viewing situation. (2) access to other artists (3) access to informa­ 1 'What I say is part of the art work. I don't look to
CH: This holds good as long as no one can tion and power channels and (4) money. critics to say things about my work. I tell them what it's
begin to identify a 'house style' in what you do. These factors are now becoming balanced about' -Douglas Huebler.
ss: True. Failure is imminent. Unfortunately throughout the world. To be part of this 2 'When Attitudes become Form' was first shown at the
over a period of twenty exhibitions one begins changing situation interests me very much. Kunsthalle, Berne, in March/April 1969, and has also
to become the theme and the cement; which CH: Do you think the new art has forced a been seen in Krefeld and at the ICA in London
(August/September 1969).
begins to be as offensive as prefaces, thematic new relationship between artists and those 3 'I want to remove the experience from the work of
titles etc. involved in art in a secondary capacity- art' -Joseph Kosuth.

STEPHEN BANN is lecturer in the Faculty of Humanities BARBARA REISE is a senior lecturer in the history of art at ROBERT GORDY, the American artist, lives and works in
at the University of Kent. He is working on an antho­ Coventry College of Art. New Orleans.
logy of Constructivist documents.
DORE ASHTON, the American critic, is a regular contribu­ CHRITOPHER Fox is studying at the Slade School of Art
JASIA REICHARDT is assistant director of the Institute of tor to Studio International. and devotes a large part of his time to writing.
Contemporary Arts. She organized the Play Orbit exhi­
bition currently at the ICA. EDWARD LUCIE-SMITH, poet and critic, recently returned ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG, who has had major exhibitions
from a visit to Scandinavia. His book on 'The Arts at the Walker Arts Centre, Minneapolis, the White­
ERIC ROWAN, a painter who has recently exhibited in since 1945' was recently published by Thames & chapel Art Gallery, London, and elsewhere, was one
New York and with the 56 Group in London, Ireland Hudson. of the American artists represented at the Venice
and Scotland, teaches at Cardiff College of Art. Biennale 1966.
RICHARD SMITH, whose work was shown at the Galleria
PAT GILMOUR has just completed a book on modem dell'Ariete in Milan last spring, is currently engaged in
prints which is due to come out in the spring, and writes making graphics in Italy and London. His recent work
regularly on graphics for Arts Review. is on show at the Kasmin Gallery until mid-December.
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