Art Time Capsules Unsealed - Brief Article

In 1974 Stephen Antonakos initiated his "time-box" cast with four artist friends, Richard Artschwager, Daniel Buren Sol LeWitt and Robert Ryman. He asked each of them to place something inside one of four carbonized iron boxes he had come across, to seal the container, and sign a contract not to reveal its contenteds until the year 2000. As part of Antonakos's new exhibition at the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. [Jan. 20-Mar. 12] the artists render free of accessed the boxes in a special formality on Feb. 24.

In the early 1970 Antonakos began a series of collaborative package throw outs while on a fellowship at Fresno State guild in California. Feeling isolated, he asked his fresh York friends for packages from home--anything they chose He received 87 rejoinders To the initial frustration of more [i]or[/i] less of the senders, Antonakos didn't unclose the packages. They, too, were upon display, still unopened, at the Rose Art Museum along with a of recent origin neon installation by the artist. Antonakos later sent his have packages to friends, with instructions to make open them on various dates--including, in a certain quantity of cases, after the artist's death, or never

The "time boxes" were the culmination of the package casts Since then, the boxes have been in Antonakos's studio, admitting they are now owned through an anonymous private collector. Joseph Ketner director of the Rose learned of the boxe from Antonakos, and asked him to schedule their opening as a public event

A filled house watched Antonakos and the four artists render free of access the boxes. Ryman's contained, wrapped in brown linen, an early work--a small framed glass palette with a large swirl of white paint, signed and dated 1961 The lid of LeWitt's chest opened to reveal the inscription: "A line, not straight, corner to corner, Sol LeWitt, Oct 14 1974" Inside was a tiny white cube. Artschwager had put togethered a nest of four progressively smaller plywood boxe inside his chest each with a lid secur by the agency of four overly long screws. A alphabetic character inside Buren's box explained that, in the spirit of the throw he had passed the piece of work along to Chris D'Arcangelo, a young artist who was Antonakos's studio assistant at the time. D'Arcangelo, who died in the early 1980 had, in revolve paid homage to Buren by means of painting two wide red stripes upon the inside of the case After a quarter century of safeguarding the boxe Antonakos said, opening them was the couple a delight and a big relief.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Brant Publications, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group