Official Flag of ________ (For Ideally), 2009
Hand-sewn felt flag.
36 cm x 50 cm x 1 cm
This work was specially produced for the exhibit Ideally by Antoni Wojtyra & Annie Wu (aka W+W). Ideally is a re-imagining of commercial gallerying and an exhibition in the realm of a larger exhibition, Utopics 11th Swiss Sculpture Exhibition curated by Simon Lamunière. Ideally will operate for 4 days: August 28 29 30 31, 2009. The Utopics exhibition runs from August 28 - October 25, 2009.
Ideally presents an international group of artists within a prototypical commercial art gallery guided and constructed upon Utopian principles. Foremost among these principles are that an artwork may be acquired by a collector willing to agree to terms defined by the artist who created the artwork.
The terms that must be honored by the recipient of my work were stipulated as follows:
Flags designate a distinguished geographical area.
This flag must become the official flag of a specific geographical space, as chosen by the recipient. This space can be big or small, but it must be clearly defined and the flag must always be kept on display somewhere in this space. This flag may come to signify: the entire property upon which your house resides, just your backyard, one particular room in your home, or even one specific shelf on your bookcase. Whatever place you choose, this flag will become the officially recognized flag of that given space.
The terms also stipulate that the recipient, having deemed this as the official flag of a specific place, be kindly asked to select a "state gift", chosen from the grounds of this newly defined space. This gift will be sent to the artist in recognition of their contribution to the cultural heritage of this place.
