Site-Specific Art

In these two chapters, Miwon Kwon describes and defines site-specific art and its evolution (or devolution?). Site-specific art can occur just about anywhere, but its meaning always corresponds to its surroundings or setting. Unlike the conventional aesthetically appealing painting or sculpture that we find ourselves admiring, site-specific art instead aims to send a message in a way that is hard to forget. Often, these messages are of social or political importance and challenge the viewer to think or participate in some way. A great example of this that Kwon mentions in "Geneology of Site Specificity" is Mierle Laderman Ukeles' Hartford Wash: Washing Tracks, Maintenance Inside in 1973, where Ukeles scrubbed the floor of the entry plaza, steps, and exhibition galleries of a museum on her hands and knees for a total of 8 hours (19). This site-specific "maintenence art" forced viewers to think about the "hidden and devalued labor," often associated with women, that is behind the spotless white spaces of a museum.

There is a continued controversy, however, on the unrepeatability and authenticity of site-specific art that Kwon discusses in "Unhinging of Site Specificity." The growing popularity of this art form has led to a greater demand for it, but it may not always be possible or easy for an installation to travel. As a result, there has been an increasing amount of these artists who are ignoring the once-popular notion that "to remove the work is to destroy the work" (38) and are trying to make site-specific art "nomadic" (43). According to these artists, as long as they approve of a reproduction of their artwork, it should be considered authentic. Others, however, argue that the art loses its site-specific meaning and uniqueness with duplication, even if the artist is a part of the process. This "nomadic" shift has led to the success of many artists, who then become freelancers who are invited by an institution to product a work specifically for that institution, travelling from place to place, often working on more than one work at a time. While I can see the benefits of such an arrangement, I can't help but think that it undermines the element of creativity and personal expression that makes an artist unique in his/her own way. Many site-specific artists seem keen on this "nomadic" move because it leads to greater financial success and perhaps fame, but doesn't it make those who are criticizing social hierarchies and exploitative commodification a bit hypocritical? It's a shame to me that even site-specific art has fallen into this trap.