Wanderlust: Actions, Traces, Journeys 1967 – 2017, organized by the University at Buffalo Art Galleries and now at the Des Moines Art Center, chronicles half a century of movement in art. Whether pilgrim or flâneur, explorer or migrant, the walker observes the world in a way that’s distinct from driving, biking, or running. It is an act of very individual wayfinding that’s guided by the existing landscape or city plan. From American artist Vito Acconci pursuing strangers in 1969 New York for his “Following Piece,” to Polish artist Teresa Murak roaming 1974 Warsaw while shrouded in a smock sprouting cress seeds to merge the female body and nature, walking can be both a loss of control and a seizing of public space. Called “A Line Made by Walking,” this ephemeral piece was part of the performative art that emerged in the 1960s and ‘70s. In 1967, English artist Richard Long walked backwards and forwards in a Wiltshire field until a trail was pressed into the grass.
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