Joseph Kosuth / Keith Sonnier

June 10 – July 18, 2024

Castelli Gallery, 24 West 40th Street, is pleased to present Joseph Kosuth / Keith Sonnier, an exhibition that brings together the work of two artists who have been associated with Castelli Gallery since the beginning of their careers.

Joseph Kosuth’s ‘Titled (A.A.I.A.I.)’ [Exterior-Interior] (Ety.), 1967, is an example of the artist’s “definition” works that are based on borrowed language. The work is made up of seven mounted photographs and is the only seven-part work that the artist made from this series. In this work, Kosuth goes a step further by using an etymological dictionary, which further exemplifies the iconic idea of language borrowed from dictionaries.

Perhaps the most “conceptual” part of the work is the notion of when the work is dated, or rather how it should be dated. Kosuth’s work is largely dated at the date of conception, in this case, 1967; yet it was not fabricated until decades later. In this way, it is difficult to answer the question if the work is “original.” Similarly to ‘Titled (A.A.I.A.I.)’ [Exterior-Interior] (Ety.), Kosuth’s R.M. #1, 1992, is composed of a rectangular piece of glass lying on an aluminum shelf and 1992; however, the original sheet of glass from 1992 is not required when exhibiting the work, but rather can be fabricated at any time. The text displayed on the glass relates to the relationship between art and language with the viewer.

While Joseph Kosuth’s works focus on language, Keith Sonnier’s Ba-O-Ba Fluorescent, 1970, is largely ephemeral. Composed of foam, neon light with fluorescent powder, and glass, the work was included in the artist’s first solo exhibition at Castelli Gallery in 1970 at Castelli Warehouse. Ba-O-Ba Fluorescent is an example of Sonnier rejecting traditional mediums for sculpture such as bronze and marble in favor of materials that are psychologically loaded, like reflective glass and foam. Both ‘Titled (A.A.I.A.I)’ [Exterior-Interior] (Ety.), R.M. #1, and Ba-O-Ba Fluorescent, comment on the idea of what is an original artwork and defy the traditional ideas of fine arts.

Joseph Kosuth was born in in Toledo, Ohio in 1945. He lives in New York and Venice, Italy.

Keith Sonnier was born in Mamou, Louisiana in 1941 and passed away in Southampton, New York in 2020. His upcoming long-term presentation, Keith Sonnier, opens at Dia Beacon in November 2024.