Neogeo (art)

Neo-geoorNeo-Geometric Conceptualismwas an art movement from the 1980s that utilizesgeometric abstractionand criticizes the industrialism and consumerism of modern society.The usage of the term neo-geo began when it was first used in reference to a 1986 exhibition at theSonnabend Galleryin SoHo that included the artwork ofAshley Bickerton,Jeff Koons,Peter Halleyand Meyer Vaisman.According to artist Michael Young, Neo-geo artwork recognizes technology as both a promise and a threat.

Naming

Curators, acquisitors, and artists within the movement could not come to an agreement on the name of the movement, leaving the world with more than one name for the art movement.

A pair of curators and writers,Tricia CollinsandRichard Milazzoworking together to create manyCollins & Milazzo exhibitionsfelt thatPost-Conceptualismwas the best fitting term, as it highlighted the magnification of ideas. Many artists within the movement, such asPeter Halley,rejected the name “Neo-Geo” because it seemed too catchy and therefore consumerist. Halley preferred the termSimulationismbecause it referred technology replacing nature.In the 1987New York Timesnewspaper article, “What Do You Call Art’s Newest Trend: ‘Neo-Geo’...Maybe”, he explains that “air conditioning is a simulation of air; movies are a simulation of life; life is simulated by bio-mechanical manipulations”.

Eugene Schwartz dubbed the movementPost-Abstract Abstractionas it was for him a new version of 1960s abstraction that creates alternative meanings.

Peter Nagywished for the movement to be untitled. He believed that once you give art a name, the movement is destroyed.

Some critics pondered whether the movement had enough originality to be singled out as its own movement, as it bore too many similarities to prior movements such asGeometricAbstract ArtandPop Art.

Neogeo Research

Art historian and curator Amy L. Brandt provided the first comprehensive survey of neogeo artists that included Sherrie Levine, Allan McCollum, Haim Steinbach, Jeff Koons, Peter Halley, Ashley Bickerton, and Meyer Vaisman. Brandt focused on their artistic perspective, examining each artists' exposure tostructuralismandpoststructuralismtheory. Other topics covered include East Village culture in the 1980s and the influence of postwar French theory. Brandt connected each artists' works toPop Art,Minimalism,Neo-minimalism,Conceptualism,and thePictures Generationgroup.

Influences

Neo-geo artwork was influenced by earlier movements of the twentieth century, includingminimalism,pop art,andop art.Additionally, ideas aboutpostmodernismandhyperrealityinspired those within the neo-geo movement. Many neo-geo artists were influenced by French thinkerJean Baudrillard.One of Baudrillard's arguments is that needs are constructed rather than natural. According toTate,Geometry was a way in which artists represented ideas like Jean Baudrillard's, with geometry as a metaphor for the modern world because shapes are constructed.

Early Artists

• Ashley Bickerton
• Ross Bleckner
• Peter Halley
• Jeff Koons
• Allan McCollum
• Haim Steinbach
• Philip Taaffe
• Meyer Vaisman
• DoDoU
• Michael Young
• Peter Nagy

Early Artwork

• Peter Halley,Sonnabend Gallery Exhibit,1989
• Jeff Koons,“Equilibrium: Encased - One Row”,1983
• Haim Steinbach,“Ultra Red #2”,1986