Denis Oppenheim's Discontinuous Practice Explored in Interview

Denis Oppenheim, driven by curiosity across various fields, created a heterogeneous and discontinuous body of work. His practice evolved from earth-works and body-works in the 1960s to installations in the early 1970s, culminating in 'machine-works' by the late 1970s. These later works share affinities with the utilitarian art of Jeff Koons and Meyer Vaisman, presenting complex constructions that reject the object as sculpture. In an interview, Eleanor Heartney questions Oppenheim about possible continuity in his oeuvre, his exploration of hidden connections between things and systems, the driving force behind his evolution, the dematerialization impulse of the 1960s-70s, and his use of humor and absurdity.