40th Association of Art Historians Annual Conference, Royal College of
Art, London

Session: Making Do – Materiality in the Conceptual Age

The emergence of conceptual art in the United States and post-war
Europe marked the most radical change of paradigm since Marcel
Duchamp’s ready-made. Advocating the ‘dematerialization’ of the
art object and a redefinition of art as a (self-) questioning language,
conceptualism challenged received ideas about the production and
circulation of artworks. Over recent years, a large body of research
has examined the development of conceptual practices in so-called
‘peripheral’ regions, such as Eastern Europe and Latin America, and
the ways in which they responded to the double imperative of
resisting the cultural hegemony of the West/North and opposing
authoritarian regimes. Yet the articulation of conceptualism as a
critical category deserves further attention.

This panel seeks to re-examine conceptualism in the light of that
which it has tended to negate: materiality. Pertaining to the
artwork’s physical existence, as well as to its ability to trigger an
embodied relation with the audience, a reconsideration of
materiality in conceptual art raises questions about the historical
conditions of artistic production and the roles of gender and space
within this practice. What does materiality tell us about a
conceptual piece? How are the material and conceptual
intertwined? How do different media involved in conceptual art
approach and treat matter? Is there such a thing as a ‘return’ of
materiality in the post-conceptual age? How are these notions
deployed institutionally? The panel will assess the importance of
exploring the interrelations of conceptualism and materiality, and
encourage comparison and dialogue between different regions and
timeframes.

Panel convenors:
Sophie Halart, University College London,
sophie.halart.10ucl.ac.uk
Mara Polgovsky Ezcurra, University of Cambridge,
mp592cam.ac.uk

If you would like to offer a paper, please email the session
convenors directly, providing an abstract of a proposed 30-minute
paper. Abstracts most be no more than 250 words, and most include your
name and institutional affiliation (if any).
Please do not send proposals to the Conference Administrator or to the
Conference Convenors.

Deadline for submissions: 11 November 2013.
For queries about the AAH2014 conference or bookfair contact:
Cheryl Platt aah2014aah.org.uk