John Baldessari, Terms Most Useful in Describing Creative Works of Art, 1966-68. Acrylic on canvas; 114 x 96 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

via xtraonline

Baldessari’s major retrospective opens this week at the Tate Modern

John Baldessari, I Will Not Make Any More Boring Art, 1971

“In 1971, Baldessari was commissioned by the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Canada to create an original, on-site work. Unable to make the journey himself, he suggested that the students voluntarily write the phrase “I will not make any more boring art” on the gallery walls. Inspired by the work’s completion – the students covered the walls with the phrase – Baldessari committed his own version of the piece to videotape. Like an errant schoolboy, he dutifully writes, “I will not make any more boring art” over and over again in a notebook for the duration of the tape. In an ironic disjunction of form and content, Baldessari’s methodical, repetitive exercise deliberately contradicts the point of the lesson – to refrain from creating “boring” art.” (text courtesy Ubuweb)

John Baldessari, I Will Not Make Any More Boring Art, 1971. Video (black and white, sound), 13:06 min. Gift of the artist. © 2009 John Baldessari. Courtesy Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), New York (image courtesy MoMA)

View the video on Ubuweb