Austria, 1990
side talks
For my graduation project I wanted to explore the meaning of the term ‘institutional critique’ specifically related to its use in art history. Artworks that are classified as ‘institutional critique’ first appeared around the 1960s, when a political critique of various institutions coincided with the conceptual critique of the category art. Later, in the 1980s and early 1990s, a kind of intensification happened – artworks became more cynical and perhaps exposed the limitations of critique. A third phase of ‘institutional critique,’ that we are currently experiencing, has been identified as the emergence of “the new institutionalism”. The idea behind it is that the process of critique can now be taken as an operational principle of an institution and it can actually take on a specific political task.
I want to raise the question of the necessity and the terms of an educational institution – in particular an art school like the Gerrit Rietveld Academie.
Following art dealer Stefan Simchowitz’ premise “there’s no one cashing in more on young artists than art schools” I interviewed students about their financial situations, the necessity of having a side job while studying, and their implications in relation to student life.
At the show I provide a space on the third floor and I invite you to spend some time (precisely the duration of eating a popsicle) in order to share some of my questions with you.
