Formalizing their concept is a drawn anthology of the conceptual art movement. For several years I made drawings of iconic conceptual work from the 1960s through the 1980s in graphite on paper. In the 1970s, Sol Lewitt distinguished between conceptual art with a lower case "c" (his own work) and conceptual art with a capital “C" to refer to what critic Lucy Lippart called ‘ultra-conceptual’. In Conceptual or ultra-conceptual art, the idea is paramount and the material form is secondary, ephemeral, and/or ‘dematerialized’. Because the materials that were used (neon tubes, coke bottles, ordinary chairs, found objects) were of lesser importance to early conceptual artists than the idea of the artwork itself, I decided to put attention back on the material. By slowly and methodically drawing iconic works and their documentation, I was attempting to rematerialize them.

Formalizing their concept:

Liliana Porter’s ‘Untitled (boat)’ 1973

16 x 13 inch

Graphite on paper

2014

Formalizing their concept:

Maria Bartuszova’s Hommage a fontana II, 1987

7 x 5 inch

Graphite on paper

2017

Formalizing their concept:

Luis Camnitzer’s ‘The Photograph’ 1981

23 x 24 inch, actual size

Graphite on paper

2014

Formalizing their concept:

Marcel Broodthaers’ ‘Comma & Exclamation mark, 1970'

13 x 16.5 inch

Graphite on paper

2013

Installation view, Formalizing their concept, Josée Bienvenu Gallery, 2013

Installation view, Estampa, Cayón Gallery, 2015

Installation view, Formalizing their concept, Casado Santapau Gallery, 2014

Installation view, Formalizing their concept, Casado Santapau Gallery, 2014

Formalizing their concept:

Cildo Meireles’ ‘Insertions into ideological Circuits: Coca-Cola Project, 1970'

19 x 21.5 inch (9 drawings) actual size. Num.8, 9

Graphite on paper

2014

Formalizing their concept:

Cildo Meireles’ ‘Insertions into ideological Circuits: Coca-Cola Project, 1970'

19 x 21.5 inch (9 drawings) actual size. Num.9

Graphite on paper

2014

Formalizing their concept:

Horacio Zabala’s ‘ Este papel es una carcel’ 1972

11 x 14 inch, actual size.

Graphite on paper

2014

Installation view, Formalizing their concept: After Levine, After Evans. Josée Bienvenu Gallery, 2017

Formalizing their concept:

Sherrie Levine’s ‘After Walker Evans: 10’ 1981

13 x 12 inch

2017

Formalizing their concept:

Sherrie Levine’s ‘After Walker Evans: 5’ 1981

5 x 4.5 inch image / 13 x 12 inch paper

Graphite on paper

2015

Formalizing their concept:

Sherrie Levine’s ‘After Walker Evans: 2’ 1981

3.875 x 5 inch image / 13 x 12 inch paper

Graphite on paper

2017

Installation view, Formalizing their concept: After Levine, After Evans. Josée Bienvenu Gallery, 2017

Formalizing their concept:

Sherrie Levine’s ‘After Walker Evans: 17’ 1981

3.7 x 5 inch image / 13 x 12 inch paper

Graphite on paper

2015