Broadcast Live from Nottingham Contemporary , 25 June 2014

On becoming something else, with Krist Gruijthuijsen, live from Nottingham Contemporary

What does it mean when an artist consciously withdraws from art? This talk tracks a minor history of artists who have made powerful statements of refusal through the act of non-production and disappearance.

Gruijthuijsen’s presentation is derived from a work by conceptual artist Ben Kinmont entitled ‘On becoming something else” (2009). Kinmont’s practice addresses the complexity of the artist as a social, political and simultaneously autonomous figure within society; one that pushes the boundaries of ‘the personal’ and ‘the formal’ through negotiating the borders of artistic labor and other value structures.

The menu for “On becoming something else” will form the base for the presentation to elaborate on different forms of withdrawal, focusing on particular cases such as those of Raivo Puusemp, Laurie Parsons and the Guerrilla Art Action Group.