[ISEA2015] Artist Statement: John Slepian – A REALLY GREAT IDEA

Artist Statement

Performance (2014)

A Really Great Idea is a humorous performance inspired by early Conceptual Art. In it, the artist uses a hacked brainwave sensor to turn a light bulb positioned over his head on and off. Revisiting the highly influential performance and video works of the 1960s and 1970s, the performance is an absurdist proposal that looks at simple actions and the concept of an idea.

  • John Slepian’s artwork has been shown in the US and internationally, including P.S.1/MOMA and Hunter College Art Galleries in New York, the Exploratorium in San Francisco, Axiom Gallery, Boston Cyberarts Gallery, and the Boston Center for the Arts in Boston, and Re-New Digital Art Festival in Copenhagen, Denmark. He is represented by Catharine Clark Gallery in San Francisco, is a member of the COLLISION Collective in Boston and was a resident in the P.S.1 National Studio Program in 2002-2003. Slepian is currently Assistant Professor of Art and Technology at Hampshire and Smith Colleges in Western Massachusetts.

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