A Virtual Exhibition of Conceptual Art

On May 6, cocurators Nanette Yannuzzi, associate professor of art at Oberlin, and Ann Torke, associate professor of art at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, will present ENACT, a virtual exhibition featuring internationally recognized artists presenting works of conceptual art.

ENACT is a part of the 25th anniversary of the Cleveland Performance Art Festival, which will take place throughout the spring and summer of 2013 and will include additional contributions from the Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Public Theater, Cleveland State University, Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, SPACES, and the Sculpture Center.

Based on the 1970 Art in the Mind project curated by Emerita Professor of Art Athena Tacha, Yannuzzi and Torke began working on ENACT in December 2012, inviting artists to respond to the ideas in the original Art in the Mind catalog.

“Our intention as we curated ENACT was to select a group of artists and writers whose interests are aligned with some aspect of the Art in the Mind exhibition in terms of a commitment to a conceptual framework for art, an active allegiance to performance, or an understanding that dialogue and exchange can be primary motivations for art-making,” says Yannuzzi.

“We allowed them to respond using a variety of media so their contributions run the gamut from sound, video, drawing, graphics, photography, poems, Twitter feeds, visual stories, and links to websites constructed specifically for ENACT.”

The resulting work of 60 artists will be displayed on the ENACT website, whose virtual opening will release the website to the public “much like a new film or album is released,” says Yannuzzi.

“There will be a page on the website devoted to each artist,” she explains. “The viewer will be able to click on an artist’s name and their contribution, including a short biography.”

In the weeks leading up to the May 6 opening, several events will take place in conjunction with the conceptual art virtual exhibition. On Thursday, April 25, at 8 p.m., Lyn Goeringer, visiting assistant professor in TIMARA will perform “bi-product of labor” in the R.D. Baron Gallery. At 1:30 p.m. on Friday, April 26, the gallery will play host to a Skype interview with Yannuzzi, Torke, Tacha, and students enrolled in Yannuzzi’s multimedia sculpture course.

“Our hope is that ENACT will contribute to ongoing discussions relative to virtual art practices in contemporary art,” says Yannuzzi. “These venues are, and will continue to be, a rich source of cultural exchange that is uninhibited by geographic proximity. As global societies evolve, the desire for places where creative communities can contribute and exchange ideas will only become more necessary.”