Theoretical Disengagement I

We have come to expect an art to entertain - not just exist as some things on the wall. And in the art world that art entertainment has come to be defined more and more by the “Theater of Cruelty.” Artaud created this surrealist action in order to bring art and life together. Through the years there have been many productions that experimented with this form of surrealist enterprise. It blossomed most fully in the dance world where form, movement and poetry could come together without words. First with the famous surreal theatre in the 20s and 30s. Then in the 70s and 80s it truly blossomed and went mainstream as the new Postmodern culture became defined by Surrealism. In movies, Cronenberg, Greenaway and Lynch, in dance and theatre Pina Bausch, Robert Wilson and Carole Armitage expanded the possibilities of surrealist theatre through an over the top mannerism - elongations of performance time (some pieces lasting for many hours - some for many days), breaking down the “fourth wall” (creating theatre in everyday settings - including the audience in the performance, etc) and expanding the ideas of what dance and theater could present (including circus animals, stunt men, flatulation, fornication, urination, defecation and Methodists [paraphrasing Mel Brooks] - among many other things.) It has become an extremely successful sales pitch for the avante garde. Advanced theatre productions and organizations such as BAM would not exist without it. In our smaller art world this idea of theatre as “lived” experience has been translated for gallery goers and utilized by some of our more successful entrepreneurs. In so doing it has been instrumental in the changes to the way art is made and presented.

Artists after Allen Kaprow began to seriously explore the idea of theatre in art by creating Happenings. A Happening was simply an art event staged for a select audience. It was an attempt by artists to push open the possibilities of expression and align art practice to life - making both one. Happenings are the very mixture of art and life that Oscar Wilde thought could not exist as he resided behind bars. A man well ahead of his time. These theatrical ideas began to go mainstream in the art world of the 50s with European artists like Yves Klein and in the States with the Hampton Beats ( the scene was a convergence of Manhattan painters, poets [especially Crane and Ginsberg], ne’re-do-wells, beats, alcoholics and Methodists ) - it expanded and popped in Manhattan during the early 60s with the POP crowd. We know of Rauschenberg, Dine, Oldenberg and many others who put together these events. Oldenberg even going so far as to actually create a store to sell his wares in the East Village. Happenings brought together a broad range of sensibilities and added the excitement of theatre to once staid openings and art parties. Since then the idea of a staged event has expanded to include (besides heavy drinking ) installations, videos and movies. All three are now ubiquitous in the art world, and in Rauschenberg’s sense, this form of art presentation lives in the gap between art and life. The “event” has come to define the expectations not only of artists, but gallery goers as well. Artists who continue to insist on showing more traditional wall hung work have had to find ways to bring the contents of that work into the physical world of the gallery - by expansion of the work through the “extended field” (creating a theatrical context - a stage set - for the presentation of the work) or more importantly, through the event of the opening itself (who attended, who purchased, who came to the after party, how large were the crowds, etc.) Without a doubt both galleries and artists have become dependent on the attendance and review of an opening to create buzz and spectacle around the presentation of more traditional work. These days reviews of openings are followed as closely in the art world as they are in the film or theatre industry. That and the profit taking that follows....

Most openings are now part of larger public events. In fact the absolute “show-i-ness” of the art fair or biennial is defined by its ability to entertain art goers rather than present art. These industry events have become the meeting places for the theatre of the absurd. This September as the new season starts - there will be a tremendous amount of art-i-zens gathering to become part of the opening spectacle that the Thursday thru Saturday grand junkanoos present throughout the month. Galleries will have become little more than theme park experiences with the public moving among wall paintings, contrived art objects (usually meaningful flotsam), recreated set pieces, dark video rooms, sound scapes or combinations of the same. Some will continue these events with performances or parties at strategic venues all around the city. In truth the events will be greater than the art seen (scene) to the gallery going public. The totality of these events and the amount of press generated, both paper and cybernetic, will be the greatest artwork on view. By taking the focus off the power of the art presented, the product becomes just one factor in a larger event, allowing the party scene to determine the value of the work. This is a solid marketing ploy and it is seen best in tourist destinations across the world- businesses selling memorabilia. The basic entertainment factor and its fastidious marketing to the art crowd are the diversion - visual strength, sound ideas or ground breaking tactics do not matter in the selling of the product. The event must be bigger than the product.

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