Art in the Information Age: Technology and Conceptual Art

Art historians have generally drawn sharp distinctions between conceptual art and art-and-technology. This essay reexamines the interrelationship of these tendencies as they developed in the 1960s, focusing on the art criticism of Jack Burnham and the artists included in the "Software" exh...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Leonardo (Oxford) 2002-01, Vol.35 (4), p.433-438
Main Author: Shanken, Edward A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aesthetics
Art exhibitions
Art objects
Computer software
Conceptual art
Cybernetics
Modern art
Modernist art
Special Section: SIGGRAPH Art and Culture Program
Technology
Visual arts
Citations: Items that cite this one
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Summary:Art historians have generally drawn sharp distinctions between conceptual art and art-and-technology. This essay reexamines the interrelationship of these tendencies as they developed in the 1960s, focusing on the art criticism of Jack Burnham and the artists included in the "Software" exhibition that he curated. The historicization of these practices as distinct artistic categories is examined. By interpreting conceptual art and art-and-technology as reflections and constituents of broad cultural transformations during the information age, the author concludes that the two tendencies share important similarities, and that this common ground offers useful insights into late-20th-century art.
ISSN:0024-094X
1530-9282
DOI:10.1162/002409402760181259