Whether they were creating inflatable pillow-like structures or burying
the front ends of cars in the ground to form Cadillac Ranch (right),
the members of Ant Farm pushed the boundaries of installation art.
With a sharp eye, the art and architecture collective—founded
in San Francisco during the late 1960s—criticized consumerism
while experimenting with video, design and performance art. The ICA
pays them homage in the only East Coast showing of “Ant Farm:
1968-1978,” a photographic, videotaped and published record of
their work that runs through Dec. 12. Also on display is work by Pepón
Osorio, based on his three-year artist’s residence at the Philadelphia
Department of Human Services; “Exhibiting Mediality,” a
reconstruction of a work by late 1960s Argentinean artist David Lamelas;
and a large wall work by post-Surrealist Amy Sillman.
—
H.A.D.
Originally published on September 9, 2004