The object of it all

Bulky black boxes on the ground impede the visitor's movements. Meanwhile, the artist utters phrases in German, which is joined by other languages and then a soundtrack, gradually building up to a cacophony. The repeatedly flashing image of a gun overlays a syncopated rhythm on an oppressive atmosphere.

Vito Acconci made his mark on New York’s art scene in the 1960s with radical performances before continuing to explore the relationship to the body and space with video and installations in the 1970s. The Object of it All, one of his “cultural space pieces”, is an allegory of the confinement of individuals and a critique of the lack of freedom in American society.

Presented for the first time at Documenta VI (Kassel, 1977), The Object of it All was shown by the Pinault Collection during the 2008 exhibition “Passage du Temps” (“Passage of Time”) at the Tri Postal in Lille.