The object-oriented uprising continues. This time, it can be found in a sizable article in the November/December 2009 issue Art Papers Magazine. The piece stretches across eight pages or so (alas, only in print), covering contemporary sculpture and its relation to object-oriented philosophy.

Often incorporating the detritus of everyday life, that is, appropriated bits and pieces in loosely-cobbled arrangements, such flimsy yet carefully balanced assemblages have cropped up in museum exhibitions, at galleries, in degree shows and biennials around the world over the past few years, defining a sculptural anti-aesthetic that asks us to consider the changing nature of our relationship to objects. This demand coincides with the rise of object-oriented philosophy, and a number of symposia and publications devoted to the role of objects in contemporary art and politics.

Latour, Harman, and Meillassoux all make appearances, although the piece wrongly frames OOP as a sole innovation of Latour, with others coming along for the ride. Still, it’s impressive and encouraging to see responses like this.

On a related note, Graham also points to an interview with Joanna Malinowska, about her show Time of Guerrilla Metaphysics. Given the materiality of the plastic arts, it’s not surprising to see sculptors embracing object-oriented thinking.

(thanks to Carl DiSalvo for sharing the Art Papers article)

published January 16, 2010