An Abstract

The Art is a Merchandise Article (A Case of an Inter-media Action XXX Sale of the brand kitch^tm) text presents the problem of commodification of art reflected in the phenomenon of commercialisation and decline of the public systems, common prevailing materialistic values and consumption.

The chapter The History of the Project – the Starting-Point presents the backgrounds of the conceptually organised inter-media project XXX Sale of the brand kitch^tm, which is meant as the basis for the deepening into the theme of the research. The step-by-step development of the project is evidently shown as well as the forms, which the project has taken during the time, and the actual description of every single performance.

The chapter Argumentation of the Concept starts with the introductory section Art is Not a Merchandise Article - the basic idea of the project and the theoretical starting-points are presented in a serried way – and it ends with the closing section titled Art is a Merchandise Article and subtitled Relativity of the Value Systems presenting the author's point of view on the problems dealt with. In between there are sections leading us on logical ways from the opening to the closing "statement": review of the media, explanation of the setting-up and presentation of the subproject Shop Till You Drop, as well as the section on using the ready-made philosophy and exclusion of observers of an art work.

In the chapter Image that Sells the author looks at the problem of the use of photography and consecutively also at the use of graphics and video in performances. It explains the use of photographs – objects, and in the section Triviality of Death, Setting Up and Merchandise Articles it deals with the social-sociological point of view of the "image phenomenon". The chapter ends with the discussion on the contemporary phenomenon of the use of photography in the service of selling.

The last part of the thesis presents author's self-reflecting thoughts on the ethics of putting his own personality into the context of the problems dealt with.

The phenomenon of the economic reification in art is in the research paper treated simultaneosly with the phenomenon of the responsibility of each individual.

Public Is Amusing!

We built the spectacular shopping-amusing exterior using formerly free public air. The public air became the trading good branded with kitch^tm.

Living Room

Transfer of the private space to the public space. Intervention in space considered the usual atmosphere of a living room, of an intimate/social space where a passenger used to stop and maybe - even - think about the future of rapidly disappearing public theritory.

The Action of Proclamation of the Selling of the Public

We branded the selected public building and proudly declared the selling of it. The price was special and the public space became a private one again.

(Ljubljana, 11. 5. 2005, entrance to The Faculty of Arts and the nearest public park)