Form Matters, Matter Forms. From Readymade to Product Fetish

From Readymade to Product Fetish Ever since the invention of the readymade at the start of the last century, when everyday objects were selected to be shown as art objects, the differentiation between art and everyday life is no longer straightforward and now very much dependent on context. The public presentation of readymades and their appropriation in the context of Pop Art during the 1960s, a period of great economic prosperity, has considerably increased the influence of both product and advertising on art. Aesthetics familiar from everyday life have brought about fundamental changes in art in terms of content. Art appreciation can no longer function without considering the interdepen­dencies between the operating system of art and its development within consumer society. The appropriation of consumer goods has turned the microsystem of art into an actual zone of conflict between ­material and materialism, and works of art have thus become veritable fetish objects. These interdependencies form the point of departure for the exhibition and the ac­com­panying book »Form Matters, Matter Forms. From Readymade to Product fetisch« with works ranging from Marcel Duchamp to the present day. Artists: Cory Arcangel, John Armleder, Monica Bonvicini, Christa Dichgans, Marcel Duchamp, Öyvind Fahlström, Sylvie Fleury, Claire Fontaine, Wade Guyton, Hans Haacke, ­Richard Hamilton, David Hammons, Damian Hirst, Jeff Koons, Barbara Kruger, Mark Leckey, Sherrie Levine, ­Richard Prince, Martha Rosler, Sturtevant, Rosemarie ­Trockel, Andy Warhol, Ai Weiwei et al. Exhibition: Kunst Museum Winterthur, 7/9 - 17/11/2024