Robert Smithson

Cultural confinement takes place when a curator imposes his own limits on an art exhibition, rather than asking an artist to set his limits. ↗

— Robert Smithson

#artist #asking #confinement #cultural #curator

From the top of the quarry cliffs, one could see the New Jersey suburbs bordered by the New York City skyline. ↗

— Robert Smithson

#cliffs #could #jersey #new #new jersey

History is a facsimile of events held together by finally biographical information. ↗

— Robert Smithson

#events #finally #held #history #information

History is representational, while time is abstract; both of these artifices may be found in museums, where they span everybody's own vacancy. ↗

— Robert Smithson

#artifices #both #everybody #found #history

I am for an art that takes into account the direct effect of the elements as they exist from day to day apart from representation. ↗

— Robert Smithson

#am #apart #art #day #day to day

Language operates between literal and metaphorical signification. ↗

— Robert Smithson

#language #literal #metaphorical #operates #signification

Language should be an ever developing procedure and not an isolated occurrence. ↗

— Robert Smithson

#ever #isolated #language #occurrence #procedure

Language should find itself in the physical world, and not end up locked in an idea in somebody's head. ↗

— Robert Smithson

#find #head #idea #itself #language

Language thus becomes monumental because of the mutations of advertising. ↗

— Robert Smithson

#because #becomes #language #monumental #mutations

Mistakes and dead-ends often mean more to these artists than any proven problem. ↗

— Robert Smithson

#artists #mean #mistakes #more #often