Can artists still create community? Public art and participation from Skulptur Projekte to Theaster Gates
The article traces the evolution of public art and community engagement from the 1977 launch of Skulptur Projekte in Münster, which challenged the museum model of Documenta, to contemporary participatory practices. It highlights key projects such as Rachel Whiteread's House (1993), the Serpentine Pavilion series, and the failures like Richard Serra's Tilted Arc (removed 1989). The relational aesthetics of the 1990s, exemplified by Rirkrit Tiravanija's food offerings at the Venice Biennale (1993) and Art Basel (2015), are critiqued for remaining within the art system. More recent community-oriented initiatives include Theaster Gates' Dorchester House and Art Collaborative in Chicago, the Ruangrupa collective's lumbung at Documenta 15, and Tabita Rezaire's AMAKABA in French Guiana. The article also notes the High Line in New York curated by Cecilia Alemani, and designer Emmanuel Babled's furniture production in Tanzania. It questions whether these efforts truly foster community or remain elite, concluding that design may sometimes succeed where art falls short.
Key facts
- Skulptur Projekte Münster launched in 1977 as a public art alternative to Documenta.
- Kasper König was the founder-curator of Skulptur Projekte.
- The 1987 edition of Skulptur Projekte was especially successful, contrasting with Documenta's neopop sculpture.
- Arte all'Arte in San Gimignano ran from 1996 to 2005.
- Rachel Whiteread's House was created in London in 1993.
- Richard Serra's Tilted Arc was commissioned in 1981 and dismantled in 1989.
- Miwon Kwon's essay 'One Place After Another' (1988/2002) critiqued site-specificity.
- Rirkrit Tiravanija offered food at the Venice Biennale in 1993 and at Art Basel in 2015.
- The Land community near Chiang Mai, Thailand, was founded in 1998 by Tiravanija and Kamin Lertchaiprasert.
- Donald Judd's project in Texas began in 1973 and now includes a Prada store.
- Andrea Zittel's Regen Project is in the California desert.
- Lucy and Jorge Orta created Le Moulin near Paris.
- Ruangrupa brought their lumbung model to Documenta 15 in Kassel in 2022.
- Theaster Gates' Dorchester House and Art Collaborative in Chicago includes 32 low-cost housing units.
- Tabita Rezaire's AMAKABA is in French Guiana, near the Amazon forest.
- Rezaire's work is currently on view at Fondation Vuitton in Paris, funded by TBA21.
- El Anatsui creates tapestries with dozens of assistants from his Nigerian community.
- Rivane Neuenschwander organized activist parades in Brazil.
- Judith Butler's 'Alliance of Bodies' (2017) is referenced.
- Cecilia Alemani curates the High Line in New York, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Piet Oudolf.
- Alemani also curated public art in Buenos Aires for Art Basel.
- Emmanuel Babled produces traditional chairs and furniture in Tanzania.
- The article is by Angela Vettese, director of the master's program in visual arts and fashion at IUAV.
Entities
Artists
- Kasper König
- Rachel Whiteread
- Daniel Buren
- Richard Serra
- Miwon Kwon
- Claes Oldenburg
- Rirkrit Tiravanija
- Kamin Lertchaiprasert
- Tobias Rehberger
- Philippe Parreno
- Superflex
- Donald Judd
- Andrea Zittel
- Lucy Orta
- Jorge Orta
- Ruangrupa
- Theaster Gates
- Tabita Rezaire
- El Anatsui
- Rivane Neuenschwander
- Judith Butler
- Cecilia Alemani
- Piet Oudolf
- Emmanuel Babled
- Angela Vettese
Institutions
- Skulptur Projekte Münster
- Documenta
- Fridericianum
- Public Art Fund
- Creative Time
- Arte all'Arte
- Fiumara d'arte
- Serpentine Gallery
- Palais Royal
- Biennale di Venezia
- Art Basel
- The Land
- Monsanto
- Prada
- Tripadvisor
- Regen Project
- Le Moulin
- Dorchester House and Art Collaborative
- Stony Island
- AMAKABA
- Fondation Vuitton
- TBA21
- High Line
- Diller Scofidio + Renfro
- Artribune
- Amazon
- IUAV
Locations
- Münster
- Germany
- Kassel
- San Gimignano
- Italy
- Gibellina
- Sicily
- London
- United Kingdom
- Trafalgar Square
- Paris
- France
- Manhattan
- New York
- United States
- Venice
- Basel
- Switzerland
- Chiang Mai
- Thailand
- Texas
- California
- Los Angeles
- Chicago
- Indonesia
- French Guiana
- Amazon
- Brazil
- Nigeria
- Buenos Aires
- Argentina
- Tanzania
- China