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The need for space in art practice
- Source: JAWS: Journal of Arts Writing by Students, Volume 1, Issue 2, Oct 2015, p. 141 - 147
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- 01 Oct 2015
Abstract
This article starts with the premise that artists have an intrinsic understanding of visual space through a theoretical awareness of spatial discourses in art, including the ‘gesture’, objecthood and post-studio debates. This understanding then becomes interwoven into the practical aspects of sustaining an art practice, and expanded within the broader context of the socially felt space within which artists make work. The article looks at practices that exemplify the artist’s need for space, in relation to: spaces in which artworks are produced, stored and distributed; the depicted studio; occupations which deny headspace; and gendered containment of domestic space. Lastly, the article asks whether practices with varying adaptability to spatial resources are then varyingly resilient when there is a lack of space, resulting in different levels of sustainability for different types of practice.