Materials in the Artworks of Janine Antoni, Richard Serra and Lee Ufan

Abstract

This article aims to study concepts of using materials and objects used in the artworks of three artists: Janine Antoni, Richard Serra and Lee Ufan. They are “Bridle” created by Janine Antono (2000), “T.E.U.C.L.A.” created by Richard Serra, and “Relatum-Stage” created by Lee Ufan (2018). The article focuses on both natural and unnatural materials and objects used in those three artworks. They express the relations between materials, objects, spaces, time and events. The concepts of using the materials and objects of three philosophers, Martin Heidegger, Alfred North Whitehead and Nishida Kitaro, are used as frameworks for studying. The study results reveal that; 1) the materials and objects have intrinsic values and meanings as they are and have meaningful values from shared experiences in society through livelihoods, 2) the materials and objects relate to unified spaces: both inside and outside, and 3) creating process of both living and non-living objects is based on the same process as one continuous process, so objects - including humans, are equal.