art and architecture.

There's a nice article in Artkrush today about the growing popularity of the built environment as artistic subject matter. This phenomenon has fascinated me for some time now (as anyone who read my previous blog will know), as it seems indicative of a thoughtful and growing convergence of high art and the design world of architecture (not to mention fashion). Most of the artwork mentioned in the article focuses on the architectural product, or on the treatment of buildings as they are utilized or destroyed. This would include such artists as Andrea Zittel, who creates portable living spaces, or Rirkrit Tiravanija, who addresses the commutability of architectural function into unusual spaces (such as turning a gallery into a restaurant).

Andrea Zittel:





Rirkrit Tiravanija:



Other noted artists include those who comment on the aging and replacement of epochal architecture, such as Rachel Whiteread and Gordon-Matta Clark. Whiteread created a cast-replica of the interior of the last remaining 19th century home in one section of East London, and Matta-Clark is famous for (among other things) his sculptures of negative space, "built" by carving precise shapes out of condemned or dilapidated buildings.

Rachel Whiteread:



Gordon Matta-Clark:



The article also mentions artists who use architectural form for subject matter in their works, such as Sarah Morris or Vera Lutter. Jiri Kolar has a series of works relevant to this trend, as mentioned previously on this blog.

Sarah Morris:





Vera Lutter:





Gordon Matta-Clark is one of the only artists I can think of however, who addresses the process of architecture in some of his work. In one of his conceptual projects, he bought unbuildable land in New York, making the space his "property" only on the documents suggesting such. Chris Burden, although not mentioned in Artkrush, wished to build a small skyscraper on his land in 2003 as a means of exploiting a Los Angeles building loophole, which would allow for construction without a permit so long as the building remained under 35 feet tall and took up no more than 400 square feet of ground space. Burden constructed a "skyscraper" form in those exact dimensions, but due to other aspects of its purpose, the structure was still considered illegal. It was eventually constructed horizontally at LACE, and was also part of the amazing MAK Center show, "TRESPASSING: Houses x Artists," which included work by Julian Opie, Kevin Appel, Barbara Bloom, and David Reed.





I might also suggest that Olivo Barbieri would fall into the above category of readdressing the process of architecture, since his photography visually transforms constructed space back into architectural models. I also consider Carsten Höller to be a major part of the overarching trend, although his work involves creating interactive forms for pre-existing structures.

Carsten Höller:





I would love to hear any other thoughts on the matter, or artworks that follow this trend.