Carpenter of the Predicate: Ian Burn, Conceptual Art and Making

Charnley, Kim (2025). Carpenter of the Predicate: Ian Burn, Conceptual Art and Making. In: Ileana, Parvu ed. A Show of Hands: Crafting Concepts in Contemporary Art. Berlin: De Gruyter, pp. 151–177.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111018737-009

Abstract

This essay develops its argument from a close reading of the 'Xerox book' created by Australian first generation Conceptual artist, Ian Burn in 1969. The reading is developed in relation to Ian Burn's writings about art and deskilling and his work in the collective Art & Language. It challenges commonly held assumptions about conceptual art, especially that this genre was always entirely focused on ideas and language and entirely opposed to making. It is a contribution to a debate that re-evaluates of the role of materiality and making in conceptual art of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Plain Language Summary

This is a close reading of the 'Xerox book' created by Australian first-generation Conceptual artist, Ian Burn in 1969. The reading is developed in relation to Ian Burn's writings about art and deskilling and his work in the conceptual art collective Art & Language. It raises questions about some commonly held assumptions about conceptual art, especially that this genre was always entirely focused on ideas and language and entirely opposed to making.

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