Since the 1960s, International Art English or “art speak” has served to validate art because of its inherent objective nature; in museums, artist statements, and gallery press releases, yet its density often leaves viewers feeling excluded. In this project, I appropriate and edit curatorial statements from exhibitions I have attended, removing or altering words to subvert the text’s original meaning while retaining its distinct, jargon-filled essence.
By installing these edited “art speak” texts in public spaces, I strip them of their institutional authority to explore how they are reinterpreted outside the gallery walls.
Ivan Riascos 