When Art is Art: A Discursive Theory
Blake Gopnik | The Brooklyn Rail | 1st July 2026
Dipping a toe into the theory of art. No object is inherently art (!). Rather, art is defined by what a curator intends an object to do, namely contribute to a ”web of discourse”. Thus, sometimes an object will be art and sometimes not. Is this a practical view? What if an object never provokes discourse, despite what a curator may wish? Aren’t we returning to exactly the point theoreticians wish to avoid, namely that qualities of an object do matter. Some objects are better at being art than others.