Instructionalised Paintings

Paper given at the Symposium, 'Artists’ Publications as Instructions, Scores and Manuals'
Drawing upon my own painting practice and the practices of Tino Sehgal, Felix Gonzalez-Torres and Yoko Ono my paper discussed the various strategies artists employ to engage people in the production and distribution of their artworks.

The strategies discussed included verbal and written instructions, legal documents such as certificates of authenticity, gift giving, as well as body-to-body transmission, a technique often employed by choreographers.

The paper also revealed the often messy exchanges that these strategies trigger such as the implications of breeched contracts, the embrace of legal loopholes, custodial care, authorship and posthumous collaboration.