Transactions September 10, 2007

September 11-November 18, 2007

An increasing number of artists today are inserting their artwork directly into the public sphere, periodically circumventing the art market in favor of existing systems of distribution, from the Internet and mail order catalogues to storefront businesses and outdoor markets. In the process, artists willfully shed much of what makes art legible as art, while simultaneously embracing its capacity to fundamentally alter and enhance our understanding of the world around us. Humor and irony are implicit in many of these projects, as is intelligence and a keen awareness of the global economy in which art now functions. Transactions will explore the use of alternative systems of distribution by artists Conrad Bakker, Daniel Bozhkov, Eugenio Dittborn, Christine Hill, Emily Jacir, Ben Kinmont, Cildo Meireles, Seth Price, and Zoë Sheehan Saldaña. Spanning the years 1970 to 2007, the content of the exhibition will range from videos and sculptures to photographs, paintings, and a variety of printed matter. While most of the works in the exhibition will document projects that have come to a conclusion, three artists will be represented by living, performative projects that exist concurrently beyond the confines of the museum.

Curated by Kelly Baum, assistant curator of American and contemporary art

Official Website: http://www.blantonmuseum.org/