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The NEW Secrets about MAIL-ART - PART 3

(c)2004 by Ruud Janssen

see also the other New Secret Thoughts: 1 | 2 | 3

What is Mail-Art?

Since the Internet is influencing the Mail-Art world, the question, "What is Mail-Art" is more essential than ever. The digital art is digital art, the traditional painting IS a painting. Mail-Art still has to do with Communication (mail) and Art (creating new things).

The early DaDa-artists and Fluxus-artists, who are seen as the the roots of the Mail-Art group, have all one thing in common. They were people who could create something new. In the nowadays Mail-Art world I often see copies of concepts that have been thought out decades ago. I know that I will make a few people mad with such remarks. Plagiat is sometimes also considered an artform. Like Duchamp, who thought who thought out several concepts, the copying of these concepts aren't art. What I miss in mail-art today is new concepts.

One example is the Mail-Art project. In 1973 Ken Friedman started this concept. Is was only one of the concepts that are being started in Mail-Art. Today a new generation only thinks that projects, artistamps, rubberstamps, and the ways how to do this IS mail-art. Not in my eyes. Use communication, use art-techniques, and think out a unique concept where it all comes together. That is mail-art. The process of how it goes. The artifacts that are created could be rubbish, could be art, could de destroyed. That isn't important.......

This file will grow soon, just come back in a few weeks........