Jan Dibbets

Jan Dibbets is a Conceptual artist that I know for two series of works, namely the perspective corrections and the time-based photographs. He probably has a series dealing with light and shadow as well, which is usually dealt with using photography, but occasionally not.

Perspective corrections:
http://www.synesthesie.nl/images/dib1.gif
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amaripe/2844039340/

Time based photography:
http://wd.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/dibbets_shortestday.jpg

In his "perspective corrections", Dibbets alters an environment such that when viewed through a camera, viewers experience a change in perspective.

In his time-based photography, Dibbets would photograph the shadows from a window or the lighting of a window at different time intervals.

His interests in these two series of works clearly lie in perception, as well as time and space.

Apparently, he seems to be pretty serious about photography as a medium, but in a Conceptual rather than conventional way.

If you ask me, I think his concepts and how he expresses them are quite good. He is one of the few Conceptual artists that I don't really mind.

I do borrow from other writers shamelessly!

I can only say in my defense, like the woman brought before the judge on a charge of kleptomania, 'I do steal; but, your Honor, only from the very best stores.'

Conceptual drawing

If the idea is the art in Conceptual Art, then is it possible to have Conceptual drawing? Yes -- and when I say Conceptual drawing I do not mean sketches or proposals of an idea, but where drawing is the act/performance of illustrating the idea itself. Without the drawing, the idea cannot be communicated.

Lately, I took a photo of a grave and did a drawing of it, but the drawing was less than satisfactory, even though the process was thoroughly enjoyable -- but that's another story.

Today, I returned to the photo of the grave, and I did a drawing on a photocopy of the photo. Drawing is the act of marking, and what I essentially did was to draw over an area of the grave. The area which was covered with grass is now a black void, and what I did was to photocopy my 'drawing' so that the work becomes a new photo/drawing.

The work is Conceptual because I was trying to hide existing form/space with my drawing, which turns the photo-image into a void/open grave. I was trying to question the idea of shape/space in a drawing, as well as to hide something...

what is hidden becomes an unknown (horror)...and the viewer does not notice (I hope) until I reveal what my 'drawing' actually is.

View works at http://solitudeandmemory.wetpaint.com/