Group presentation seminar
For the Advanced Research Methods seminar presentation group work, we got given the task to elaborate on the method of Art Theory. Upon meeting with our Tutor, we chose to focus our work around Conceptual Art. We split the theme into different sections, so each one of us would mention different aspects of this movement, as well as the different artists that took part or got influenced by it.
My part of the presentation was about the historical and political dimension of the movement, so i ended up picking a Chilean Art collective that went by the name of COLECTIVO ACCIONES DE ARTE (C.A.D.A.).
This collective was mainly active from 1979 to 1985, after the dictatorship that oppressed most Chilean Art from 1973 went down. Their work was mainly revolved around the dictatorship years and the effects of it on the newly democratic Chile. Their pieces were usually public displays of art or performances which the general public could participate in, and they were highly political and disruptive.
To showcase their work, I started by mentioning the history behind the collective, and the social and political situation at the time, followed by three examples of their most famous pieces : “No Mas” (), “Para no morir de hambre en el arte (Not to Die of Hunger in Art)”,and “¡Ay Sudamérica!”.
While researching for the presentation I found a lot of new information about not only Chile but other South American Countries and how conceptual art took form there. There were major similarities to the art that was coming from the US but adapted to a different way of living. This example was most clear in the second work that I analyzed, where the bottle of milk was a symbol of human rights and social necessities. This can be compared to works from American artists that used products and consumerism to make similar statements.
Being the collective active a little after conceptual art sprawled out as a movement, due to the oppression of art during the dictatorship years, is also interesting as we can see their works as responses to American Artists that pioneered conceptual art.
Overall, I think the seminar group work was very productive, as it challenged us to put together different types of artists (in our case every artist was from different nationalities) with different perspectives of what conceptual art meant as a medium for them. Furthermore, how history, social and the political situation of the artists country influenced their work.
I will definitely look into incorporating some of what I learned in my future work and upcoming essay, in regard to history and art.
