中欧社会论坛 - China Europa ForumInitiatives, Alternatives: Notes in a Temporary and Raw State
Authors: Hou Hanru
In reality, art equates art event. Or to be more precise, if the artwork is to be effectively presented, it needs to be part of an art event. We are now living in the society of communication. Spectacle is the form. The spectacle, or the event, is the very horizon and the bottom line of “reality.” To hold an event, the institution is an indispensable physical condition. It is also, more importantly, the ideological foundation. What kind of institution should be created is now the crucial question. This is because the institution is the central element in the power system, or mechanism, that defines the notion and the boundary of art itself. This was understood deeply by Marcel Duchamp, and is today accepted by almost everyone as the rule of the game. “Where do you show your work?” has become a more telling question than “What kind of work do you make?”