This research begins with a tension between mechanical reproduction and the dematerialization of art. If an artwork takes the form of an idea, an instruction, an event, or a process, what exactly is being reproduced?
Reading conceptual art of the 1960s and 1970s alongside theories of reproduction and cybernetics, the thesis follows a shift from the artwork as an object toward art as a system of information, relations, and feedback.
From objects to systems
The first chapter examines the relationship between Benjamin’s theory of mechanical reproduction and conceptual art. The second follows dematerialization across conceptual, process, performance, and land art, then turns to the informatization of artistic practice.
The final chapter asks how art operates within an information ecosystem. The emphasis moves from defining the essence of art to examining its modes of existence and circulation.
A continuing inquiry
The research began as a master’s thesis at Nanjing University of Arts in 2021. The English manuscript includes subsequent revisions, extending its inquiry into generative reproduction and information systems.
Research overview · Master’s thesis, 2021; subsequently revised. The PDF contains the revised English manuscript.