Drawing for "48" Standards" 1969 - 1972

Curator: Here we have Mel Bochner’s "Drawing for '48' Standards'" currently held in the Harvard Art Museums. It's deceptively simple, isn't it? Editor: It definitely has a blueprint quality to it. There's something stark and utilitarian about the presentation, almost an instruction manual. Curator: Precisely. Bochner is questioning the very means of production here. The piece is not merely about the aesthetic, but about the systems and standards that govern artistic creation. What materials are readily available, and how are they used? Editor: And who has access to these materials, and who benefits from their use? Standards, after all, are rarely neutral. They are shaped by cultural biases, economic realities, and power dynamics. How do these "standards" impact marginalized communities and their access to resources? Curator: Absolutely. Bochner's work invites us to examine these underlying structures. It's an inquiry into the art-making process and its socio-political context. Editor: It reframes art from being just an artifact to being a part of broader systems of labor and value. The simplicity is jarring, but it makes you think critically about how art and societal norms are intertwined.