Conceptual art – an art form in which the artist is trying to make a point. The underlying idea and the process are more important than the tangible product

(Pronounced kuhn-sep-tyoo-uhl)

To remember what conceptual means, use the following mnemonic:

Was it a con or was this septic tank an actual (conceptual) art piece in the art museum? It looked like the idea behind it and the process used were more interesting than the finished item.

Here is an example of conceptual art by Jaroslav Devia. What do you think it means?

Conceptual art covers a wide variety of possibilities and is very personal. More often than not, the finished piece isn't the important part, but rather the meaning, or concept, behind it.

The point of conceptual art is to make a point. To learn about this technique, we have some projects which explain a process for creating conceptual art.

Our process is as follows: 

Brainstorm ideas. Get out a notebook and decide what point you would like to achieve. What message would you like to convey? Here are some examples artists have used:

Which is a real chair?
What is art?
Can angry words produce happy pictures?
Can colour be an experience?

Once you have chosen your idea or message, you need to decide how to convey the idea. Remember, there are no rules to this except the ones you make.

At the end of the projects we will also write out some suggested words of explanation. 

Project 1

Project 2

Project 3

Conceptual art.