Date of Graduation

5-2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts in Art (MFA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Art

Advisor/Mentor

Bethany Springer

Committee Member

Vincent Edwards

Second Committee Member

Alexander Hanson

Third Committee Member

Eli Kessler

Fourth Committee Member

Abra Levenson

Keywords

Art, History, Sculpture, Volkswagen, Zitrone

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis paper is to describe the elements and narrative associated with the exhibition, Zitrone, as well as the conceptual and theoretical ideas influencing the work. The exhibition is centered around an invented singular historical object in the form of a vehicle, and a museum display of artifacts, documents, and recreations intended to validate the existence of the central subject. Drawing on the work of artists Marcel Broodthaers, Damien Hirst, and David Wilson in conjunction with theoretical writings of Dave Hickey and Lewis Hyde, the exhibition seeks to address the perception and presentation of history as absolute truth versus subjective interpretation of events. Using the methods and tropes of display associated with the museum and the archiving and dissemination of truth, the project provokes thought into both the possibility or impossibility of historical accuracy and the accountability of the museum in that discourse.

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