The Obsolete in Reverse: Robert Smithson and Science Fiction

How did the imagery of science fiction permeate Smithson’s art? This lecture will directly connect the scenarios and historical perspectives outlined in some of Smithson’s favorite Sci-Fi novels and movies to his consistent interest in obsolete (or obsolescent) realities, conflation of the futuristic into the prehistoric and ambivalent approach to technology.

Beginning with an introduction to the life and achievements of this seminal American artist, the lecture will discuss the emergence of the iconographical theme of the monster as a metaphor of nature and ideal convergence point of remote pasts and futures in Smithson’s pre-1964 work. The second part of the lecture will discuss Smithson’s fascination with crystallization as a metaphor of entropy and a time indicator, while the final part will be dedicated to discuss deserts and desertic imagery as ideal places of dialectic exchange between Smithson’s signature dichotomies (past/future, man/nature, fiction/reality...). A selection of images culled from Sci-Fi movies and illustrations of the fifties and sixties will be compared to Smithson’s own work and discussed not so much to identify it as its source material but to prove that they represented the visual zeitgeist that inspired Smithson.

Instructor
Marco Antonini is a New York based independent curator and writer. His projects are often characterized by a natural eclecticism and by a hands-on approach derived by previous experiences in DIY music production and fanzine publishing. He has collaborated with some of the most reputable organizations in New York, including ISCP, Elizabeth Foundation, LMCC, ISE Foundation, Japan Society, Triangle Arts and the Dumbo Arts Center.

A freelance educator/lecturer at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the PS1 Art Center and 3rdWard, his articles, essays and interviews have been published on Flash Art, Contemporary, Whitehot, Museo, BMM and NYArts. He has lectured on various topics for the Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa (Venice), Japan Society, ISE Foundation and the Rhode Island School of Design.

INTERESTED IN THIS COURSE?  LET US KNOW HERE.  
WE'LL TRY TO OFFER IT AGAIN SOON!