Seeing is Forgetting The Name of The Thing One Sees

Robert Irwin is a master in illusion. For him, “aesthetic perception itself [is] the pure subject of art. Art exist[s] not in objects but in a way of seeing.” It requires an active viewer to take it in and, hopefully, become altered, even if only for a second. Irwin induces a change in perception through his work, making the viewer reexamine their environment – which includes themselves. He believes the role of artists is to prod the relationship between the mind and the body, as two parts that are “equally dependent and mutually exclusive”[source]. This to me is the real magic of art; it can force an awakening of the mind and the body as separate things. When you become aware of the whole of you, in the environment, it produces a jolt of exaltation. It’s the most spiritual act I’ve experienced.
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