Rosalind Krauss Reinventing The Medium Pdf !exclusive! Today

Serra’s early work involved “to roll, to crease, to fold.” Krauss uses Serra to show that a medium can be a list of actions applied to a material. In “Reinventing the Medium,” she reframes Serra’s lead-throwing as a recursive system: The act of throwing defines the sculpture, not the lead itself.

Krauss borrows the term “post-medium condition” from philosopher Stanley Cavell. However, she clarifies that this condition does mean the end of media. Rather, it signals the breakdown of traditional, a priori media (e.g., painting, sculpture) and opens the possibility for artists to invent new, specific media on a case-by-case basis. rosalind krauss reinventing the medium pdf

Published in 1999, "Reinventing the Medium" is a thought-provoking essay that challenges traditional notions of artistic media and the creative process. Krauss argues that the medium of art is not a fixed or stable entity, but rather a dynamic and constantly evolving concept that is subject to reinvention by artists. She contends that the medium is not simply a technical or material support, but a complex system of conventions, norms, and expectations that shape the way artists work and the way we understand art. Serra’s early work involved “to roll, to crease, to fold

: Often titled under "Reinventing the Medium" or found within the journal Critical Inquiry . However, she clarifies that this condition does mean

Why it matters today: Krauss’s thinking anticipates the fluidity of contemporary art, where digital practices, time-based media, and participatory projects resist neat classification. Her framework encourages critics and artists to attend to context—the exhibition format, technological affordances, and institutional economies—that shape how works are experienced and valued.