Lawrence Weiner, born 1942 in the Bronx, New York City, is a key protagonist of early conceptual art. His work is characterised by his use of language as an artistic medium. It is descriptive rather than prescriptive and does not instruct the viewer to perform a particular action or interpret a piece in any unequivocal sense. Rather, it presents the viewer with an infinite number of meanings and equally infinite possibilities for realisation.
ATTACHED BY EBB & FLOW is an installation Weiner created for Museo Nivola in Orani, Sardina. The title refers to the tides and relates to Sardinia-born artist Costantino Nivola's experience of exile and relocation, as well the current migrant crisis in the Mediterranean Sea. Sentences are translated from English to Italian to local Sardu, using different words and verbal constructs and presented simultaneously to open manifold possibilities to read and interpret: something may be lost in translation, yet much more can be found.
Text in English and Italian.