Mierle Laderman Ukeles – Social Mirror(1983)

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The year 1980 was a crucial one in my Art-Career and in my thinking over ART generally.

Just returned from L.A. I wrote a – not published – ‚Art-History‘ of the twentieth century. This ‚History‘ ended with Mierle Laderman Ukeles‚ „Touch Sanitation“- Project (1978 – 1980), an Art/Life-Experiment which included a ‚Handshake Ritual‘ with workers of the New York Department of Sanitation.
These ‚Handshakes‘ I took as a speaking sign, ART in the conventional sense was definitely over. Sort of ‚Good by‘ to (oldfashioned) Art.( Painting especially was seen as a dreadful business.) Other Artists shunned their ART-careers for political ones.An „Ideology“, best described by Tom Wolf’s: „The Painted Word“ (1975).

Whatsoever: this thinking over the relation between Art and Life was a sobering-up.