“Relational Form” as a Language of Art: Approaches and Debates

Abstract

The paper aims at mapping and theoretically conceptualizing the controversies around the “relational form.” It does not, however, seek to conciliate the different positions or take “sides” in the debate; instead, it is based on concept-based methodology as an instrument offering a better insight into the researched object. Even though the form of contemporary art, be it as a process or as a procedure, is “broken” according to the traditional idea, the aim of this work is to examine the opposite. In the first part, the notion of “relational form” and the discourses related to its articulation are analyzed. The second part focuses on the techniques and procedures or strategies of the conceptual avant-gardes during the 1990s and 2000s. Eventually, the conclusion considers the efforts, debates, and possibilities of art in the extended field of relational practices. The aim of this research is to define more precisely the ontological status of contemporary art forms.