A radical pioneer of conceptual and installation art, Kosuth initiated appropriation strategies, language-based works and the use of neon as a medium – considering it a form of “public writing” without fine art associations – in the 1960s.
Kosuth’s ongoing investigations into language and perception, and the appropriated use of literature, philosophy and psychology have characteristically taken the form of works in series, a format that opens up space for play and reflexivity in multiple directions. Key examples from the artist’s most iconic neon series will be on view, including elements from Kosuth’s renowned Freud series (1981–1989), in which the artist puts the psychoanalyst’s texts regarding unconscious functioning
meaningfully into play using wall pieces and installations, and from his acclaimed Wittgenstein series (1989–1993), which illustrate the fervent influence of the philosopher on Kosuth’s foundation of thinking, and belief that art should ask questions about itself, as a language engaged in the production of meaning.
until December 19, 2016
Joseph Kosuth
Agnosia, an Illuminated Ontology
Sean Kelly Gallery
475 10th Ave, New York