September 4–October 26, 2013
Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery
Concordia University
1400, boul. de Maisonneuve West
Montreal (Québec) Canada
H3G 1M8
Curators: Dean Inkster and Sébastien Pluot in collaboration with Michèle Thériault
Interviews with Stephen Antonakos, Benjamin H.D. Buchloh, Daniel Buren, Ben Kinmont, Peter Nadin, Naomi Spector, and Lawrence Weiner
With the participation of Pierre Bal-Blanc, Sophie Bélair Clément, Simon Brown, Ben Kinmont, Silvia Kolbowski, Pierre Leguillon, François Lemieux, Rainer Oldendorf, Émilie Parendeau, and Nicoline van Harskamp
“When I state that I am an anarchist, I must also state that I am not an anarchist, to be in keeping with the (….) idea of anarchism. Long live anarchism. ”—Christopher D’Arcangelo
Between 1975 and 1979, the North American artist Christopher D’Arcangelo (1955–1979) developed an artistic practice that was notable for its radicality and critical import concerning the role of the artist, the status of the art object and the institutionalization of art. A desire for a radical democratization of the production and reception of art motivated D’Arcangelo’s institutional critique, which he voiced in a statement on anarchism.
Although interest in D’Arcangelo has not been entirely absent over the last thirty years, to date, no posthumous exhibition or critical evaluation of his work has been undertaken. The written and visual documents that D’Arcangelo compiled to chronicle his practice have been made available at the Fales Library & Special Collections, New York University, following a donation by Cathy Weiner and the D’Arcangelo Family Partnership to the library’s “Downtown Collection” in 2009.
Testifying to an artist engaged in a critique of the social conditions and repercussions of art, and whose work is accessible solely in the form of an archive, represents a challenge to both contemporary art history and curatorial practice. It is this challenge, along with the paradoxes and critical complexities D’Arcangelo’s work and legacy raise, that the exhibition considers and analyzes.
For the current presentation of this evolving exhibition, inaugurated at the CAC Brétigny in 2011, the curators, in collaboration with Michèle Thériault, have invited local and international artists, some of whom have previously participated, to contribute existing or new works as a means of generating further dialogue on the contemporary significance of the questions Christopher D’Arcangelo raised in his practice.
The exhibition is made possible by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Service de Coopération et d’Action Culturelle du Consulat Général de France à Québec with the support of the Institut Supérieur des Beaux-Arts, Besançon/Franche-Comté.
The video interviews are co-produced by Solang Production Paris Brussels, the Centro Cultural Montehermoso Kulturunea (Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain) and the Centre d’art contemporain de Brétigny (France), in partnership with Artists Space (New York). Additional support was provided by the Centre National des Arts Plastiques (France) and the Villa Médicis Hors les Murs program.
Events presented in conjunction with the exhibition:
Meet the curators
Dean Inkster and Sébastien Pluot
Tuesday September 3, 4:30pm
At the Gallery
Free admission
Exhibition tour
With Michèle Thériault, project collaborator
Thursday September 12, at 3 pm
At the Gallery
Free admission
For students: workshop with the artist Rainer Oldendorf
September 20, 21, 22 and September 27, 28, 29
At the Gallery
For students: workshop with the artist Émilie Parendeau
October 18, 19, 20
At the Gallery
