Customer Reviews

Unmonumental

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Once there was a period in art known as Dada: 'Dada or Dadaism is a cultural movement that began in Zürich, Switzerland, during World War I and peaked from 1916 to 1922. The movement primarily involved visual arts, literature--poetry, art manifestoes, art theory--theatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti-war politics through a rejection of the prevailing standards in art through anti-art cultural works. Its purpose was to ridicule what its participants considered to be the meaninglessness of the modern world. In addition to being anti-war, dada was also anti-bourgeois and anarchistic in nature. Dada activities included public gatherings, demonstrations, and publication of art/literary journals; passionate coverage of art, politics, and culture were topics often discussed in a variety of media. The movement influenced later styles like the avant-garde and downtown music movements, and groups including surrealism, Nouveau réalisme, pop art, Fluxus and punk rock.' Now, take that precursor movement and carry it into the art of today and this book frames another sister movement - The Art of the Unmonumental.

This book demonstrates the genius of constructing the ordinary happenstance findings that clutter our lives and building them into something creative - though NOT monumental. Writers Richard Flood, Laura Hoptman, Massimiliano Gioni and Trevor Smith (Curators at the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York) have assembled (no pun intended) the works of both well-known and new artists who make things out of ordinary stuff and call our attention to the condition of the world today by capitalizing on the detritus we usually avoid. The results are splendidly creative 'artworks' - contraptions yes, perhaps, but objects or assemblages that are striking and grab out attention immediately. The joke (if there is one, and only the flummoxed collectors of fine art would consider it as such) is a pleasure ride of zany and at times poignant pieces. This is an excellent catalogue that is entertaining as well as illuminating. Grady Harp, February 10

The book came to me in perfect condition and the content, well, anyone interested in the most current and contemporary sculpture today should have this book. Some of the artists will be familiar, some not, but all are doing quality work edging along the boundaries of what we call sculpture today.