Thursday, January 7, 2021

Ben Vautier | This was a gesture piece













Ben Vautier
Turn This Page / This was a gesture piece
New York City, USA: Fluxus, 1964
19 x 21 cm.
Edition size unknown

A double-sided piece of beige cardboard printed with TURN THIS PAGE on one side, and THIS WAS A GESTURE PIECE BY BEN, 1962 on the verso. 

The work isimilar to some of the George Brecht instructional scores (such as Exit) in which the viewer or 'performer' unwittingly performs the work just by going about their day. 

Vautier's later work Fold/Unfold was sometimes given the same Gesture Piece title (see below). Produced by George Maciunas in 1968, Vautier was reportedly not even aware that the work had been published until 1984. 






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