45<112from concept to gesture nonica bonvicini
o r : h o w s h e t u r n s m i n i m a l i s m Softly c r u n c h i n g a n d slightly irritating it c o m e s along, M o n i c a B o n v i c i n i ' s w o r k with the cleverly p u n n e d title , w h i c h
u p s i d e d o w n - f r o m h e a d to feet she first installed in 1998 at the v e n e r a b l e V i e n n a S e c e s s i o n . The f l o o r of the e x h i b i t i o n s p a c e w a s c o v e r e d with p l a s t e r b o a r d , a n d u n d e r it, a layer of styrofoam. The f l o o r literally b r o k e a p a r t b e n e a t h the visitors' feet - with e a c h s t e p they fell t h r o u g h w i t h a m e n a c i n g l y soft c r a c k l e . A n d so the v i e w e r s b e c a m e unwitting participants. The minimalist m e t h o d s of a M i c h a e l Asher, with w h o m B o n v i c i n i s t u d i e d in 1991/92 at the C a l i f o r n i a Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts), w e r e here t r a n s f o r m e d . Instead of a static p e r c e p t u a l situation c o n t r o l l e d by the artist's e x p e r i m e n t , visitors h a d an u n p r e d i c t a b l e p a r t i c i p a t o r y e x p e r i e n c e , with a h i g h potential for c o m e d y (at the e x p e n s e of t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s ) that in t u r n d e c o n s t r u c t e d the s a c r e d act of v i e w i n g art.
G a l l e r y - g o e r s w e r e even m o r e violently involved in o t h e r w o r k s by Bonvicini. In M a r c h 1998,
c r e a t e d a furore. A p a s s a g e w a y m a d e of p l a s t e r b o a r d walls, o p e n to the c e i l i n g a b o v e , its walls s m o o t h l y p l a s t e r e d at the e d g e s a n d p a i n t e d white, w a s built into the Galerie M e h d i C h o u a k r i . Visibly m o u n t e d o n the t w o side w a l l s at s o m e w h a t b e n e a t h h e a d level, t w o extremely p o w e r f u l w i n d m a c h i n e s w e r e b l o w i n g , a n d visitors h a d to w a l k t h r o u g h b e t w e e n them. Not o n l y w a s the h u r r i c a n e that these m a c h i n e s u n l e a s h e d in the smallest of s p a c e s nearly s t r o n g e n o u g h to k n o c k a p e r s o n over, the violent r a c k e t that w e n t along with it also d e m a n d e d c o n s i d e r a b l e p o w e r s of p a s s i v e r e s i s t a n c e . The f o r c e a n d a g g r e s s i o n w e r e e s p e c i a l l y well received by critics s i n c e they c a m e f r o m a w o m a n artist, t h e r e f o r e s e e m i n g to literally o v e r t u r n all t h e u s u a l a s s o c i a t i o n s of feminine m e e k n e s s . But w h a t w a s over
l o o k e d by all this s i g n i f i c a n c e b e s t o w i n g s e r i o u s n e s s of i n t e r p r e t a t i o n w a s a c e r t a i n irony that lay in the artist's c l a n d e s t i n e
but all the noisier art h i s t o r i c a l references. O n e of t h e s e references, to M i c h a e l Asher, will here be treated a s exemplary.
S i n c e 1965, A s h e r h a d d e s i g n e d a n d built several in g a l l e r i e s a n d m u s e u m s , a m o n g t h e m the W h i t n e y M u s e u m of A m e r i c a n Art in New York ( e x h i b i t i o n
, 1969). These a l s o involved t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n of s p a c e s m a d e of p l a s t e r b o a r d a n d the use of fans. But here the d i f f e r e n c e s b e g i n and, I think, they p r o v e d e c i s i v e if w e w a n t to u n d e r s t a n d the nature of B o n v i c i n i ' s artistic praxis. First, A s h e r installed the f a n in s u c h a w a y that visitors w o u l d not n o t i c e it;
s e c o n d , he r e d u c e d the a i r s t r e a m to a m i n i m u m so that the re
s u l t i n g light d r a u g h t m i g h t also have g o n e u n n o t i c e d . Ideally, the f a n w a s also s u p p o s e d to o p e r a t e silently; for t e c h n i c a l rea
s o n s , this w a s not yet a c h i e v e d at the Whitney. A s h e r himself re
g a r d e d t h e w o r k a s the m o s t s u b t l e c o n t r a s t to s u o h e x p f e s s i v e
ly s o l i d s e u l p t u r a I pioGes asRteharcfSefrete HouseofCards.1 Michael Asher, Writings 1973
O n o n e hand, therefore, the issue for him w a s to m a k e a n i n t e r 1 9 8 3 o n W o r k s 19691979. written in collaboration with Benjamin v e n t i o n into the s p a c e of an art institution, but o n t h e other, t h i sH D Buchioh, Halifax 1983, p. 8 i n t e r v e n t i o n w a s s u p p o s e d to remain b e n e a t h the visitors' level
of a w a r e n e s s a n d to be a s i m m a t e r i a l as p o s s i b l e .
B o n v i c i n i w a s intensively c o n f r o n t e d with A s h e r ' s p r i n c i p l e s a n d p r o c e d u r e s at Cal Arts. Yet the w h i r l w i n d s h e w h i p s u p in her w i n d p i e c e s e e m s to t a k e that a p p r o a c h a n d c o n s i s t e n t l y t u r n it into its o p p o s i t e . However, at least o n e p a r a d i g m of the c o n c e p t u a l a p p r o a c h is c a r r i e d t h r o u g h , n a m e l y the s y s t e m a t i c w a y of p r o c e e d i n g , here is e x p r e s s e d in reversals: f r o m soft to loud, f r o m invisible to n o t t o b e o v e r l o o k e d , f r o m immateriality to brutally s t a g e d material p r e s e n c e . Yet in its effect, the c o n c e p t b e c o m e s g e s t u r e l o u d , theatrical, full of itself.
Similar o b s e r v a t i o n s c a n b e m a d e w h e n c o n t r a s t i n g B o n v i c i n i ' s w i t h A s h e r ' s intervention in M i l a n ' s Galleria Toselli in 1973. A s h e r h a d all t h e layers of p a i n t r e m o v e d f r o m the w a l l s a n d c e i l i n g s of the entire e x h i b i t i o n s p a c e , s a n d b l a s t e d it d o w n to the mortar, a n d s h o w e d the c l e a n s e d s p a c e to the p u b l i c . A g a i n the d i f f e r e n c e s are s i g n i f i c a n t : with Asher, visitors s a w the f i n i s h e d p r o d u c t an empty, s h i m m e r i n g l y greyish, very still s p a c e . B e s i d e s the aesthetic e l e m e n t of f a s c i n a t i o n in the f i n e l y p o l i s h e d b a r e walls, the w o r k w a s i n t e n d e d to foster a w a r e n e s s of the c o n d i t i o n s of art c o n s u m p t i o n in the white c u b e of the gallery t h r o u g h c o n t e m p l a t i v e v i e w i n g of the m i s s i n g w h i t e
Work in the exhibition on the walls. Conversely, B o n v i c i n i a p p e a r s to allow the p r o c e
d u r e , not the result, to e x a g g e r a t e a n d c o a g u l a t e into gesture.
In , the e x h i b i t i o n s p a c e u n d e r g o e s a noisy p r o c e s s of m e t a m o r p h o s i s , with the visitors f u n c t i o n i n g a s the •tool.
A s h e r ' s situational s i l e n c i n g of the s p a c e c o n t r a s t s with B o n v i c i n i ' s irritating m o v e m e n t ; A s h e r ' s stillness with the c r a c k l i n g a n d c r a c k i n g of B o n v i c i n i ' s b r e a k i n g floor; e a c h s t e p that b r e a k s t h r o u g h d i s t u r b s a n y c o n c e n t r a t e d p e r c e p t i o n of t h e s p a c e itself.
B o n v i c i n i ' s a s s e s s m e n t of her y e a r at Cal Arts o u t l i n e s t h e c o n flict. After her p a i n t i n g c e n t r e d training at Berlin's H o c h s c h u l e d e r Kunste, s h e e n t e r e d n e w territory in s t u d y i n g A s h e r ' s treat
m e n t of s p a c e a n d a r c h i t e c t u r e a n d e n c o u n t e r i n g his f o r m s of institutional critique. But she also e x p e r i e n c e d the d o g m a t i c a s p e c t of an a p p r o a c h that h a d b e e n t a u g h t with the s a m e r i g o u r s i n c e the 70s. Indeed, s h e s p e a k s of the • a c a d e m y that a r o u s e d her spirit of r e s i s t a n c e a n d her inclination t o w a r d p o l e m i c s . A n d d o e s n ' t her p o l e m i c a l g e s t u r e also u n c o v e r a gesture that is p r e s e n t in c o n c e p t u a l art, that c e r t a i n p a t h o s in a r h e t o r i c of t h e immaterial that, moreover, is c u r s e d by t h e lack of a s e n s e of h u m o u r t h e latent Protestantism of this m i n d art, s o to s p e a k ? B o n v i c i n i ' s installations s e e m to activate M i c h a e l Fried's re
p r o a c h a b o u t m i n i m a l art, n a m e l y that it is a n t h r o p o m o r p h i c a n d Michael Fried, Art and Objecthood, in theatrical,2a n d m a k e it keenly a n d ironically manifest via t h e Arttorum, vol. 5. no.10,1967, pp. 1223 g e s t u r e ' s intrusion into the minimalist s c e n a r i o of object, body,
a n d s p a c e . M o n i c a Bonvicini is not c o n c e r n e d with f o r m a l i s t i c p o s t u l a t e s of purity, or with the a p p l i c a t i o n of r i g o r o u s p o s t m o d e r n theoretical m o d e l s to e q u a l l y r i g o r o u s artistic praxis.
Nevertheless, B o n v i c i n i ' s e c l e c t i c intelligence has e n a b l e d her c to a b s o r b the d i s c o u r s e s that the art s y s t e m has i n c o r p o r a t e d 2>
a n d a n n e x e d s i n c e the 60s, a n d to b r i n g t h e m t o g e t h e r a n d 2 t r a n s f o r m t h e m t h r o u g h her h i g h l y i n d i v i d u a l c o d e of m o n t a g e . £ This involves, o n the level of t r e n d s a n d theories, an institutional "5
u_
c r i t i q u e a l o n g A s h e r ' s lines, the feminist c r i t i q u e of m i n i m a l art c o a n d architecture, a n d the artistic c a t e g o r i e s of context, p a r t i c i >
pation, a n d a p p r o p r i a t i o n . A n d s o the artist m a n o e u v r e s her £ b u m p e r c a r of m e t h o d s , media, a n d f o r m s t h r o u g h the c o o r d i % nates of t h e art s y s t e m with p r e c i s e l y c a l c u l a t e d collisions, to
