The art of ideas: tracing the rise of conceptualism

In 1917, Marcel Duchamp submitted a porcelain urinal—what he termed a “readymade”—to an exhibition, presenting it as an artwork entitled Fountain. This moment marked a decisive break from object-focused art and signalled a new way of seeing. Duchamp’s provocation paved the way for neighbouring forms such as installation, Dada, Fluxus, and neo-nihilism to explore alternative artistic directions.

At the time, Duchamp and his contemporaries were primarily engaged in questioning the very premise of art itself. They critiqued the conventions and classifications that, in their view, stood between the viewer and the essence of art. Yet it wasn’t until Sol LeWitt’s publication of Paragraphs on Conceptual Art in 1967 that the movement found its clearest articulation. In it, LeWitt stated: “In Conceptual Art, the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When the artist uses concepts in art, it means that all plans and decisions are drawn up in advance and the execution is just a formality. The idea becomes the machine that creates art” (3).

Joseph Kosuth went further in offering an analytical model based on the notion that art must constantly question its own purpose. In his 1969 essay Art after Philosophy, Kosuth argued that traditional media should be set aside when examining Conceptual Art. He questioned whether art must always be visual, or whether it requires any physical form at all.

It wasn’t until the 1970s that the conceptual school formally set out to negate the idea of art as object, shifting its focus away from the material. By stepping beyond physical representation, artists found room to explore other dimensions such as time, staging, semiotics, performance, and language, all used to replace visual elements and spatial concerns. Reducing a work’s physicality was a way to dismantle inherited aesthetic values and pursue other truths, or reveal layers of meaning that traditional methods often left untouched.

The true subject of Conceptual Art is the inner life of the work, the process of thinking and the ideas that drive it, often concealed within any medium the artist chooses. To convey a concept, the work can appear in any space, adopt any form, and blend with any art practice the creator deems appropriate. For this reason, Conceptual Art often embraces a synthesis of forms, including installation, performance, and text.

Among the most talked-about examples is Damien Hirst’s The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991), a work that sparked wide debate. Through it, Hirst delved into our fear of death, saying: “The fear of sharks is a difficult thing to understand, but the fear of death is easier to understand.” At its core, the piece reflects on the irrationality of this fear while acknowledging how profoundly death shapes our understanding of life. The shark, the vitrified tank, and the vast £50,000 rental space at the Saatchi Gallery all serve merely as a stage for this idea to unfold.

In contrast to Hirst’s theatrical approach, Kurt Schwitters presented anti-commercial Merz collages, while Jenny Holzer’s LED works offered stark meditations on human desire and vulnerability. Duchamp’s earlier removal of material form in favour of sparking critical thought is widely regarded as Conceptual Art’s point of departure.

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Exactly when Conceptual Art arrived in Vietnam remains unclear, yet in recent years, this experimental form has found its way into local artist communities. Encouragingly, the movement has been supported by independent spaces such as Nguyen Art Foundation, MoT+++, and San Art. These organisations backed the launch of A. Farm, a residency programme designed to foster talent in the conceptual realm. Among its most promising artists is Truong Cong Tung.

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In his exhibition Between Fragmentation and Wholeness, Tung brought together two worlds: the physical space of the gallery and the emotional landscape of the Central Highlands he carries within. His work resisted notions of fixed truths. For Tung, the space between fact and fiction becomes fertile ground, an area where art can question, probe, and reveal.

While still a fresh arrival on the Vietnamese art scene, Conceptual Art has swiftly gained ground, influencing diverse practices. Artists have incorporated its philosophy into installations (Lost & Found—The LabSaigon x De la Sol), theatre (They ordered food and rolled on the sand, the ocean waves and the tumbleweeds—TheaFter theatre group), and language-based works (Goodbye Art—painter Quach Bac), among others.

Reference:

(1) From Modern to Contemporary: Art’s Evolution by Lee Down (posted on artsartistsartwork.com)
(2) Modern Art—Modern art terms and concepts (posted on The Art Story)
(3) Paragraphs on Conceptual Art by Sol LeWitt (posted on Artforum)
What’s the Difference Between Modern and Contemporary Art? (posted on Britannica)

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