Institutional Critique, as an artistic practice, has developed a well-known canon of work, often polarizing artist and institution. The tradition has involved artists making direct criticisms regarding the institutions in which their art is produced, exhibited, sold and distributed, presumably to lay bare these mechanisms for open, democratic analysis and greater change. In the coming readings and discussions, I would like to locate Institutional Critique in contemporary art practice and theory, while considering it's trajectory in terms of ever-changing expectations and criteria emerging within the art-world.
There are some problems which are worthwhile considering in coming to an understanding of these developments:
Accountability and what Franz Kafka referred to as 'central exchange' is a topic I would like to bring up in considering Institutional Critque. Kafka's endless labyrinth of administration in 'The Trial' produces a network of individuals unable to accept any responsibility, due to the nature of the system of which they are a part of. The complex framework at work here is familiar in it's resemblance to modern dealings with call centres and political debate, primarily because these impotent figures have no exchange themselves with a central authority - they have merely the system within which they work, live and communicate according to a specific criteria. This brings me to the notion that 'there is no alternative.' Margaret Thatcher's statement admits a contemporary situation in which a particular system is so deeply embedded, that all operation and activity at present may only take place according to the criteria of the prevailing system. So, what is the logical trajectory of Institutional Critique and what exactly is an Institution? Should the institution be regarded as the over-arching status quo, or an atomized network of individual institutions? Institutional Criticality, in its early relation to Avant-Garde activity, once articulated itself as an aggressive and antithetical force, mirroring the digestive momentum of capitalism and recuperation. Another thing I would like to discuss, is the development of Institutional Critique since the collapse of Modernity, throughout postmodern times and into whatever we may call the current climate, whether that be Altermodernism, or some kind of paradigm shift. Is there a Hegelian model at work, producing a synthesis of Institution and Criticism? And does this perhaps entail a degree of complicity which undermines the work of artist and institution, or has recuperation been re-appropriated and radicalised?
There are a number of tangents offered here, mostly unfinished thoughts. But this is precisely why I have chosen this topic for the first Huntly Art Reader - it is bound to be a far-reaching theme involving various disciplines, while Institutional Critique has itself reached a point of Institutionalisation. What I mean is that, the fact that we are discussing the topic, the fact that we are prepared to delve through a wealth of texts on the subject, suggests that it is well and truly established - but is it stagnant? Andrea Fraser's essay, 'From the Critique of Institutions to an Institution of Critique,' in some ways, uses this thought as its starting point. Rather than trawl through the established canon, I felt that it would be enriching to begin with a recent text, which looks backwards and around at the current state of things. Additionally, this is a subject which I am only scratching the surface of myself, allowing me to learn about it as I go along with the weeks' texts and vibrant discussions.