This extraordinary work, by one of the leading figures associated with Conceptual art, will be installed in Amsterdam's Museumplein, in front of the forthcoming annex of the Stedelijk Museum (currently under construction). Your Name in Lights will also be available to watch online, via a live stream on the dedicated website. With this dynamic and participatory public artwork, the Stedelijk Museum sets the stage for the Museumplein to be not only the gateway to the renewed museum, but also a major venue for the presentation of contemporary art.
Your Name in Lights gives people the opportunity to experience a glittering 15 seconds of fame by having their names on a giant illuminated sign. Inspired by traditional markers of celebrity, such as the neon lights on Broadway and the marquees of Hollywood cinemas, John Baldessari's work offers spectators from Amsterdam and all over the world the opportunity for what he has called "entry-level celebrity." Each registered name will be illuminated for 15 seconds on the 30-meter long L.E.D. sign that will be on view twenty-four hours a day during the exhibition period. People can register online at www.yournameinlights.nl and will be informed in advance of when their names will appear. Participants are also welcome to register up to four additional names of friends and family at the same time.
Your Name in Lights playfully and provocatively reflects the fixation with celebrity in contemporary culture and recalls Andy Warhol's oft-quoted statement from 1968, "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes". "Warhol is so yesterday," says John Baldessari. "Be a celebrity for 15 seconds! Be a celebrity, a living legend and an idol. Experience the thrill of seeing your name in lights!"
John Baldessari is one of the most significant artists of our time. Throughout his remarkable career, which to date spans over five decades and includes a remarkable oeuvre of paintings, photographs, sculpture, films, video, books and texts, Baldessari has consistently explored the associative power of language. He continues to provocatively challenge the rules and codes of mass-media culture and insightfully illuminate how meaning is produced through visual and written language. A key figure associated with Conceptual art during the 1960s, Baldessari remains one of the most influential and dynamic artists working today.
To participate in Your Name in Lights, you can register online at www.yournameinlights.nl.
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