Emptyism
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Emptyism is a modern art movement that invites the artist and viewer to participate in the act of giving and receiving intangible qualities, such as "peace", or "trust", and by so doing realize to what degree they can effect change in their own environment, and the world.
The intangible quality is labeled on the outside of an object, such as a box, and mailed. The recipient is then confronted with the idea of receiving a box full of something intangible in the mail, and questioning what they would do if they did have a box full of "hope", or "love" or "trust".
Since the message of the artwork is on the outside, but the focus is on the empty inside, the movement was named Emptyism.
Emptyism was started by New York abstract artist Franck de Las Mercedes in 2006. He created a global project called "The Priority Boxes" in which he shipped painted boxes for free to many people around the world. The process combines both abstract expressionism, sculpture, and performance art, transforming the exhibit space into a broader environment than that of a gallery, where the addressee and spectator are incorporated as part the work. It begins by the artist sealing an empty object, such as a box, and labeling the contents as though the box were full of them, such as "Fragile: Contains Hope".
The box then becomes the canvas for an abstract work, again, reiterating the notion of the message being on the outside, as normally the artwork is hidden in the box.
Finally, the box is shipped to a recipient. This is the performance art and a key aspect of the work, as the actions of an individual or a group at a particular place and in a particular time together with the message constitute the work, and as it also involves public viewers before reaching its final destination.
[edit] Details
Emptyism is part of an overall movement to get artwork out of galleries and into the public, such as street art. However, unlike street art, which is set in a particular location and relies on the mobility of the viewer to see it, emptyism is an artform which moves through society. It also shares elements with performance art, as the performance comes to "life" once it is mailed, and the actions of an individual sending it and coming in contact with the group handling the work - such as Post Office workers, friends, family etc, constitute the work also.
[edit] Origins
Emptyism was started in 2006 by New York abstract artist Franck de Las Mercedes. It has been often described it as "Abstract Expressionism's answer to pop art". He created a global project called "The Priority Boxes" in which he shipped free painted boxes for free to many people around the world. The process combines both abstract expressionsm, sculpture, and performance art, transforming the exhibit space into a broader environment than that of a gallery, where the addressee and spectator are incorporated as part the work. The movement has quickly caught on, and schools in various states in the USA including Hilltop Elementary School in Argyle, Texas, have recently set up art classes for students to send out emptyist artworkp
