Inherited Traits Discussion

The art in this exhibit exists in both the physical pieces as well as the concepts behind the works. Traditionally, art has been thought of as beautiful masterpieces created entirely by the artist. However, conceptual art has changed all of that. Works of art no longer have to be beautiful and more importantly don't necessarily have to involve the artist "touch". The art now exists in the concept behind the pieces as well as in the viewers interpretation.

For the piece Accent Elimination, by Nina Katchadourian, what is physically there is only a small part of the art. It's simply a bunch of purchased TVs on tall white pedestals, none of which were created by the artist. The art exists in the concept behind what the artists has chosen to play on the TV screens as well as how it is analyzed and interpreted by the viewers. Also, in her piece The Nightgown, only a portion of the work was created by her. Majority of the photographs where taken by her mother. However, the actual art in this work is created through the story the photographs tell; the emotional timeline the viewer is presented with. Although her many of her pieces aren't created by her alone, the art is. The concepts and thoughts behind the works are her own and this is where the true art exists, in the ideas.

Heidi Kumao's works involve a lot of consideration in the creation of the pieces. Her piece Transplant and Trace definitely involve a lot of work on her part, in order to have the images line up with the book and the hanging tag. However, the beauty of this piece isn't how perfectly the projection lines up with the objects displayed, its the message behind the piece. What is being displayed on the screen and how she creates these messages through the use of these objects and projections is the real art of the piece. Her piece Translator is a combination of different kinds of machinery and objects. However, the purpose of these objects has been completely changed, they no longer function in the way they were supposed to. Similar to the work of Marcel Duchamp, these found objects now have and new purpose and, therefore, they have a new meaning, which was created by the artists, and can now be considered art. Her work is deeply conceptual due to the fact that she first begins with an idea and then chooses her medium.