I have recently been immersed in the work of Sol LeWitt since I work at Site Gallery in Sheffield which is the only UK stop for the touring exhibition Sol LeWitt; Artist's Books. I often inherit a fresh attitude towards making work or inspiration during and subsequent to each show, interpreting each in light of shows past. My thought processeses and ideas on artistic production continue to change.
Of Sol LeWitt's there are significant points for me; recognising the value of preparation work, such as sketches, plans and designs and how often this carries greater weight in the whole idea than the finished product. "If the artist carried through his idea and makes it into visible form, then all the steps in the process are of importance. The idea itself, even if not made visual, is as much a work of art as any finished product."
From the Word "Art": Blue Lines to Four Corners, Green Lines to Four Sides, and Red Lines Between the Words "Art" on the Printed Page, 1972. Colored ink and pencil on paper. LeWitt Collection.
The Site Gallery exhibition of Sol Lewitt's Artists' Books, shows a way of seeing the artists' book as a vehicle to embody ideas and as a work of art itself, which Sol Lewitt has successfully achieved since the 60s. I love the idea of alternative spaces for art to exist and the challenge of how we imagine art can exist, whether the artist executes the idea personally or if it is performed by another person, or if reprinted as a book for example.
At MACBA this March I saw a film of John Baldessari singing Sol Lewitt's 35 conceptual statements. I adored his bad tuning and believed that Baldessari was performing LeWitt's statements like this in support of his genius - presenting LeWitt's idea in another form by a different voice, but carrying the idea strongly through all the same.
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