“The content of art is art itself?” (Notebook 8)

 This quote relates to the picture in that to many, the two hoops would not appear to be art. Yet to some like myself, this may seem like art. Similar to what Thomas Hirschhorn said, he merely used that for the play and it had a meaning in the play itself. He wouldn’t expect everyone to see it as a life changing pice of art, simply as what it is. Being as how the monument was made of plywood, tape, and screws and nails, many art critics would proclaim it as not art, due to lacking in a grandiose aura. It is not a typical monument, as you can walk on it, and it doesn’t use the more well known materials to make it last for decades, merely for months.

 These two hoops are a common, everyday staple for many children and adults who play sports or go to playgrounds. They could be considered art pieces when talking of their shape, features, as they haven’t changed for decades. They are reproduced and are the norm for basketball players. However, even someone who has never played a sport in their life, would immediately recognize them as basketball hoops. Is that not what an artist strives for? To express his idea so most people would understand it?

 The two hoops each have one of the words, love or politics on them, as a symbol that you can’t have both. In a game, you are attacking on one hoop, and defending the other. I think the message here would be that in a profession, you would have to make sacrifices from one or the other, to advance in the other one.

Athanasios Alexiou