| In a gesture famous in the art establishment, Agnes Martin fled New York in 1967 for a sequestered existence in New Mexico, becoming a recluse at the height of her fame. Lee Bontecou took a leave of absence that lasted several decades; she later said, “I needed a rest.” More explicit was Lee Lozano’s 1969 conceptual work General Strike Piece, in which the accomplished painter resolved to "determinedly avoid being present at official or public ‘uptown’ functions or gatherings related to the ‘art world.’” The piece evolved into a full-on art world boycott, which Lozano doggedly continued until her death in Texas in 1999. These cases are exceptional, but many contemporary artists suffer symptoms of what I’ve come to think of as art world malaise. | 
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Sasha Archibald is the curator of Air Kissing: Contemporary Art about the Art World, on view at Momenta from November 16 to December 17.
In a gesture famous in the art establishment, Agnes Martin fled New York in 1967 for a sequestered existence in New Mexico, becoming a recluse at the height of her fame. Lee Bontecou took a leave of absence that lasted several decades; she later said, “I needed a rest.” More explicit was Lee Lozano’s 1969 conceptual work General Strike Piece, in which the accomplished painter resolved to "determinedly avoid being present at official or public ‘uptown’ functions or gatherings related to the ‘art world.’” The piece evolved into a full-on art world boycott, which Lozano doggedly continued until her death in Texas in 1999.
These cases are exceptional, but many contemporary artists suffer symptoms of what I’ve come to think of as art world malaise: disillusionment, anger, or tired frustration with the circumstances of being an artist in New York. Notwithstanding the fact that some gripes are the profession’s version of water cooler chatter, and others nothing more than sour grapes, many ambitious artists have serious bones to pick with the art world.
Constant dissatisfaction with any industry undermines your drive to succeed within it. How does one justify working extremely hard for what one suspects to be a sham? Yes, one could join a small avant-garde, vow never to fraternize with curators, solemnly renounce hope of commercial gain. But even so, few New York artists can manage a without a direct relationship to the art world. This double bind is the premise of the exhibition Air Kissing: Contemporary Art about the Art World.
Using everything from agitprop to satire to self-depreciation, the artists in Air Kissing take a wide approach. Every facet of the art world is up for grabs: artists’ relationships with collectors; the lack of studio time for making work; the career-making power of critics. Some artists are pained by the theater of it all, while others critique the compulsory networking, or the stratification of funding—Chelsea gorges as non-profits starve (except MoMA). Perhaps the biggest problem is the insularity, a problem that leaves the cosmopolitan art world embarrassingly homogeneous.
When does ranting become part of the game, and when does it demand a plan of action? This is the impossible question at the heart of the exhibition. Even Lozano, as uncompromising and severe as she was, described her art world strike as “the hardest work I have ever done.”
