Re: Materialism/Mysticism (was Re: No Web Art in

don't mean to cut in… but i just wanted to chime in since it seemed Curt was sort of put on display so to speak for his beliefs. not to say that everyone hasn't been respectful, but i guess i didn't want Curt to seem isolated as a Christian (or any specific religion for that matter).
my own religious beliefs (as a Christian) remain unresolved (at least many others think so) with many of my other POVs, but i think Curt's statement about "personal relationships" sums it up pretty well. i am an adamant opponent of evangelical and proselytizing actions in terms of such beliefs, but am influenced by Liberation Theology, which provides a material manifestation of my beliefs beyond personal practice (how else to be an aspiring marxist that believes in God).
as for "conceptual art," i have to agree with Curt (wow), that the tautological strain of art derived from simplified readings of sol lewitt, bochner, kawara and others coming out of the minimalist foundation is pretty lame and ironically returns art to the worst kind of formalism. something certainly visible in techno-based art. the file room aesthetic of art&language becomes both silly and conservative when depoliticized and seen outside of the context when boxes were the big thing. although, i rather liked haacke's response (the Grenada prisoner box) to minimal/concept art's museumification in Reagan's 80s.
the most interesting conceptual art (IMHO), has always been about something other than itself and art history proper. i always liked the "feminist" response to conceptual art as well,(Lawler, Rosler, etc) since they acknowledged that the art object was always loaded socially and personally.
well that's enough empty opinions and useless personal info for one post…
take care all,
ryan


> curt:
> My problem with pure conceptual art is that it takes one of the few
> areas of human activity that need not be subject to didacticism, and
> it makes it didactic. You could write a text essay with a
> paintbrush, but what a waste of the paintbrush's unique potential.
> Yes, let there be concepts in art, but let them also traffic in the
> visceral, sensory, intuitive, non-didactic channels that art alone c
> an travel.