‘Idea is the Object’

D'Amelio Galleryin New York just hosted its major summer group exhibition, entitled ‘Idea is the Object’. The show brought together seemingly disparate works and practices, allowing for a dialogue in real space in which individual artists' experiences and objects may find multiple points of connection with each other and the viewer.

It featured work by a diverse group of artists, relying on a highly experiential approach to their environment, mining the world around them for inspiration.

Curated by Pavan Segal and Tracy Parker, the show comprised several emerging and mid-career artists from Berlin, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, Oslo, San Francisco, Tel-Aviv, and Vienna. Among them were Guy Ben-Ner, Andy Boot, Candice Breitz, Andreas Eriksson, Sharon Hayes, John Henderson, Jacob Dahl Jürgensen, Henrik Olai Kaarstein, Deborah Ligorio, Mitzi Pederson, Amalia Pica, Kathrin Sonntag, and Mateo Tannatt.

They were chosen to participate because of the essential role that experience plays in their artistic practices. Some actively seek out experiences with people and different environments throughout the world as a driving force for the creation of their work while others have a delicate and connected approach to the materials that they take from their surroundings.

Influenced by the writings of philosopher John Locke, the exhibition took its cue from his belief that ideas originate from one's experience of the world and the materials within it. An accompanying note elaborated: “Quite simply, ideas are the objects of thought. These ideas are then the impetus for the production of (art) objects that are placed into the world, perpetuating the formation of new ideas and allowing for this creative cycle to proliferate and continue.

It added: “The notion of producing art born out of experience is implicit in contemporary art practice, and is generally understood on an intuitive level. Because of this implicitness, less emphasis is placed on an ‘experiential approach’ to art-making as an organizing or unifying theme among artists. Idea is the Object seeks to resist chronological, medium based, or geographical classifications in order to draw attention to the essential role that experience plays in facilitating the production and understanding of art objects.