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01/15/2009: "ArtWorld"
Arthur Danto first gave the notion of the "artworld" a philosophical definition: the artworld provides the theories of art which all members of the artworld tacitly assume in order for there to be objects considered as art (see "The Artworld," Journal of Philosophy (1964)).
For many of us, entering the artworld remains a distant dream. If only there were only a way to sneak our work into a museum. Bansky has accomplished such feats on several occasions by clandestinely hanging his paintings in the Moma and Louvre, only to have them removed by museum staff (albeit days later).
I had the idea to create a Trojan-Horse that I could ride into the artworld. What better than a picture frame, a tableau vivant through which to view the artworld and at the same time be displayed, thereby changing my role from observerto observed. I encapsulated myself within the border of a frame and attempted to create a micronation as a satellite of the artworld.
The piece was performed on the threshold of the RISD museum as a guerrilla installation, and followed these specifications:
An 8' x 5' frame is constructed using abandoned railroad ties. Several 1" eyehooks line the interior perimeter of the frame. Luggage straps are attached to the eyehooks, forming a meshwork within the frame. An immobile person is suspended within this meshwork. The person is not to touch the frame, but is to remain suspended by the straps for the duration of the piece.
I hung suspended within the frame for over six hours. The temperature was below freezing. A plate of cheese and crackers was placed before the frame and museum goers frequently deviated from the typical route and exited the museum to see "ArtWorld". Many people were hesitant about taking crackers for fear that they would be disrupting the art in some way. People took photos and constantly tried to communicate with the silent, almost catatonic man. It seemed that any confusion about the object was clarified upon witnessing the museum tag I had placed before the object.
Later, a museum administrator came out to see what the object was. She said she didn't know what it was until that moment, then she said "Now I'm sure... it's art." Afterwards I asked Professor Danto if this made me art, but he replied, "You were not art, but, your humanity made it art - to the eyes of a museum administrator!"
Once declared art, the second phase of ArtWorld went into effect. I wanted to inflate the value of the object by making it change hands as much as possible. The frame was sold on eBay with the stipulation that the buyer of ArtWorld must resell the object (even for a $1 profit) within one month of purchase. Compliance entitled the buyer to a rebate from the previous owner equal to the purchase price. This allows each owner to profit while raising the price of the object and lengthening the amount of names on the bill of sale. The object currently belongs to a gentleman in Geneva and I am awaiting an update on its future home. Eventually I would like to buy the ArtWorld back and issue shares in it to all previous owners so they may share ownership and profit equally for their participation in the ArtWorld.
Bio:
Bezdomny (A.K.A. Jeffrey Andreoni) is a full time ¼ÉÕɫɉÉ-ÐV. He began his artistic career in Rome where he was designing banners and campaign flyers for both right and left wing political parties at the same time. When his tangled flag of deception came unfurled, he was left designing posters for the Arcigay (GLBT) of Rome, which is also the point at which he made his first performance art piece, "Family Gay."
Shortly thereafter he founded the Bezdomny Collective together with other artist/activists in Rome. Around this time he also created his trademark bilingual immigrant superhero cartoon series, Exxxtraman. Jeffrey studied at Moscow State University, La Sapienza University of Rome, and The University of Rhode Island. He has exhibited his photography, film, graphics, and poetry (written in Italian or English) both in Europe and the United States. His work has been featured on CNN, and seen by the Pentagon.
Currently he is producing a series of performance pieces concerned with police states and neuropsychology. He is also in the process of founding the world's first Nation Of Art. Jeffrey spends his time equally between the US and Europe, though his whereabouts at any given moment are largely unknown.
