Thursday 17 February 2011

Agnes Denes - 'Wheatfield - A Confrontation'


In 1982 Agnes Denes staged 'Wheatfield - A Confrontation'. Where she planted a two-acre field of wheat in a vacant lot in downtown Manhattan, one of the most financially valuable and coveted areas of land.

The work puts into perspective "human values and misplaced priorities". The artwork yeiled 1,000 lbs of wheat, which then traveled around the world as part of 'the International Art Show for the End of World Hunger'.
The simple gesture of planting vital resources such as food food spectacularly undermined and questioned the towers of commerce surrounding it, the statement also supports more sinister undertones when we realise how far away 'Wheatfield - A Confrontation' is from the reality of the situation.