LOUISE LAWLER

Since the early 1970s, Louise Lawler has created works that expose the economic and social conditions that affect the reception of art. Lawler’s work directs attention to positions of artistic authority and upends the presentation strategies that shape one’s encounter of an artwork. Her early projects, which appropriated other artists’ works and investigated the boundaries between private and public, established strategies she has continued to use throughout her career. Birdcalls, 1972/1981, is a recording of Lawler reciting high-pitched sounds derived from the names of famous male artists, many of whom are represented in Dia’s collection. For this presentation at Dia Beacon, Lawler installed the audio recording outdoors in the west garden along the Hudson River and the text panel of names at the exit leading to the garden.