Sanda Iliescu

I Am for an Art…
(18 lines in the form of Claes Oldenberg’s 1961 manifesto)

I.
I am for an art that rejects smoothness.

I am for an art that is raw, rough, and ridiculous.

I am for an art that makes me laugh.

I am for an art that is impure and imperfect.

I am for an art that is inconsistent.

I am for an art that is open.

II.

I am for an art that is unfinished.

I am for an art that is youthful.

I am for an art that is old, honest, and uncouth.

I am for an art that is all torn up and scratched up.

I am for an art that is free of fancy technique and special effects.

I am for an art that is non-nostalgic, non-sentimental, and purposeless.

III.

I am for an art that is practical.

I am for an art that makes do with what is possible.

I am for an art that seeks the improbable.

I am for an art that is wild and dream-like.

I am for an art that is impossible to explain.

I am for an art that is.

SANDA ILIESCU