David Lamelas's 'Publication' as Argentine Conceptual Critique

Daniel R. Quiles analyzes David Lamelas's 1970 work 'Publication' as a subtle critique of conceptual art's internationalization. Created after Lamelas moved from Argentina to London in 1968, 'Publication' was exhibited at Nigel Greenwood Gallery and consists of thirteen written responses to three statements about language as an art form, sent to figures like Daniel Buren, Gilbert and George, Lucy Lippard, and Lawrence Weiner. Quiles argues that Lamelas's earlier experiments in Buenos Aires (1965-1968), associated with the Torcuato di Tella Institute and writer Oscar Masotta, involved an analytical 'dematerialization' that systematically examined and voided prevailing tendencies. Lamelas's practice of breaking works into sections—a 'signaling' method—appears in 'Publication.' Quiles compares Lamelas's works with contemporaries in Buenos Aires and abroad (1964-1970), contending that 'Publication' marks one of the first appearances of a specifically Argentine, critical conceptualism internationally.