A Conceptual Gap Between Art and Business?
Symposium:
Session Title:
- Don't Hate the Business, Become the Business!
Presentation Title:
- A Conceptual Gap Between Art and Business?
Presenter(s):
Venue(s):
Abstract:
Panel: DON’T HATE THE BUSINESS: BECOME THE BUSINESS!
What does the capitalisation of art mean? Joseph Beuys declared that “the silence of Marcel Duchamp is overrated.” It is up to us to put value on this silence. How can you make art out of the convergence of the aesthetic field (and aesthetic judgement) with that of political economy? In the history of art, artists have often addressed this relationship both speculatively and critically. Andy Warhol went shopping. At the same time, the Beatles made their own record label to assume full control of the production process (and almost went bankrupt). What seems to be the case is that not only affirmation but also critique of the relationship between art and business develops new kinds of businesses. After all, where would design be without avant-garde (and Bauhaus)? Where would fashion be without punk? Artists often critically interfere and play with the convergence and transaction between aesthetic capital and financial capital. The paper will present key examples of this (from Marcel Duchamp to Christophe Bruno), and argue that the best critical artists also potentially propose the best and most innovative business models.