“In & Out of Amsterdam: Travels in Conceptual Art”, is a group exhibition at the MoMA, which unites 11 of the most influential Conceptual artists of the 1960’s and 70’s.
The exhibition encompasses of a variety of media including installation, collage, video, photography, slide projections, and sculpture; and appears to be centered on the connection between these Conceptual pioneers and the city of Amsterdam- whether it was the artist’s birthplace or just a temporary residence. However, its repetition of maps, custom postcards, letters, and text quickly reveals “Amsterdam” as a larger representation for the reoccurring theme of travel and the importance of place.
Sol Lewitt, Stanley Brouwn and Jan Dibbets use maps as a vehicle to evoke this theme. In Lewitt’s Map of Amsterdam without Vondelpark… he presents a map of Amsterdam with its most vital parts cut out, causing the viewer to stress on the absent areas. Simultaneously, Allen Ruppersberg as well as Gilbert and George utilize correspondence to imply travel. In his piece Overnight, Ruppersberg displays 45 self-addressed airmail envelopes sent to different Hilton Hotel locations throughout the world.
Thus “In & Out of Amsterdam” creates a cohesive paradigm of the Conceptual art movement’s obsession with travel. Because Conceptual art broke free from the constraints of a museum or gallery space it has, since its inception, been in constant travel, searching for its own place. Emanating from a range of sources and approaches, this exhibition successfully captures this sentiment.
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