Tickets

Vito Acconci Private Piece for Seth Siegelaub (Nov. 22, 1969; city series) 1969

  • Not on view

In the fall of 1969, Acconci randomly selected and then followed individual passersby he encountered in New York City, maintaining his pursuit until the person entered a building. The process varied in length from a few minutes to several hours and took the artist around Manhattan and into Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, as shown in the work’s central map. Though this stalking was aggressive, by allowing a stranger to determine his route the artist gave up a certain degree of agency. He said, “I am almost not an ‘I’ anymore; I put myself in the service of this scheme.” This typescript lays out the terms of the “scheme,” and a photocollage documented several of the actions.

Gallery label from A Trip from Here to There, March 15–July 30, 2013.
Medium
Typewriting on paper
Dimensions
8 1/2 x 11" (21.6 x 27.9 cm)
Credit
The Seth Siegelaub Collection. Gift of Richard S. Zeisler (by exchange)
Object number
540.2010
Copyright
© 2024 Vito Acconci
Department
Drawings and Prints

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