CCA News
CCA Wattis Institute Presents "A Brief History of Invisible Art"
Posted on Tuesday, October 11, 2005, by Brenda Tucker
The CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts presents "A Brief History of Invisible Art," an exhibition that will bring together artworks from the past four decades that place an emphasis on the conceptual and communicative possibilities of the work of art, while bypassing its seeming requirements of visibility and materiality. Organized by Ralph Rugoff, director of the CCA Wattis Institute, "Invisible Art" is on view November 30, 2005–February 21, 2006, in the Logan Galleries on the San Francisco campus of California College of the Arts. An opening reception will take place on Wednesday, November 30, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The exhibition and reception are both free and open to the public.
From Yves Klein's utopian plans for an "architecture of air" to Michael Asher's "Column of Air"—which subtly annotates the gallery architecture and the path of a visitor through space—to the "practical idealism" of Jay Chung's invisible film, the works in this exhibition underscore the role of audience response. "Going against the grain of a culture where seeing is believing, invisible art challenges our assumptions by emphasizing art's communicative possibilities over its visual qualities. And at a moment when art institutions compete to mount ever more spectacular exhibitions, invisible art is a much-needed tonic for our imagination. It can prompt us to see through the art world's grandiose distractions, and so, perhaps, to think a little more clearly about art's true importance, " says Rugoff.
Spanning a range of aesthetic practices, "A Brief History of Invisible Art" will feature works by seminal figures in the history of conceptual art as well as by more recent artists who respond to their legacy. Artists in the exhibition include Art & Language, Michael Asher, Robert Barry, James Lee Byars, Maurizio Cattelan, Jay Chung, Trisha Donnelly, Tom Friedman, Carsten Holler, Bethan Huws, Bruno Jakob, Yves Klein, Glenn Ligon, Jonathan Monk, Gianni Motti and Andy Warhol.
Established in 1998, the CCA Wattis Institute serves as a forum for the presentation and discussion of leading-edge local, national and international contemporary culture. Through exhibitions, the Capp Street Project residency program, lectures, symposia, performances and publications in the fields of art, architecture and design, the Wattis Institute fosters interaction among the students and faculty of California College of the Arts; art, architecture and design professionals; and the general public.
About the College
Founded in 1907, California College of the Arts (formerly California College of Arts and Crafts) is the largest regionally accredited, independent school of art and design in the
western United States. Noted for the interdisciplinary nature and breadth of its programs, CCA offers studies in 19 undergraduate and 6 graduate majors in the areas of fine arts, architecture, design and writing. The college offers the bachelor of fine arts, bachelor of arts, bachelor of architecture, master of fine arts, master of arts and master of architecture degrees. With campuses in Oakland and San Francisco, CCA currently enrolls 1,600 full-time students.