Carey Young is a British artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans video, photography, performance, text, and installation. Her work explores the intersections of art, law, corporate systems, and institutional critique. Young's approach is distinct from earlier models of institutional critique, as she often blends critical reflection with constructive engagement, addressing the boundaries between art, business, and legal frameworks.
Key Themes in Carey Young's Work
Institutional Critique:
Young positions herself within the legacy of institutional critique but redefines it by focusing on corporate and legal systems as extensions of institutional power. Her works often highlight the parallels between cultural institutions and commercial or bureaucratic systems125.
Unlike earlier practitioners like Hans Haacke or Michael Asher, who exposed ideological structures within museums and galleries, Young often collaborates with institutions to explore their operations and limitations5.
Law as Artistic Medium:
In projects like Mutual Release (2008), Young treats legal contracts as artistic forms. She explores how contracts shape relationships between artists, institutions, and audiences, blending performative and conceptual dimensions of the law6.
Visitors to her exhibitions are sometimes invited to sign contracts that transform their participation into a binding legal relationship, blurring the lines between art and life6.
Corporate Structures and Language:
Young frequently examines corporate practices and language. For instance, in her 2009 exhibition at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, she collaborated with a communications company to create call center services that extended the museum experience beyond its physical space1.
Her work critiques how businesses adopt concepts like "creativity" and "friendship" while questioning the commodification of cultural values5.
Economic Dimensions of Art:
Notable Projects
Mutual Release (2008): A series exploring legal contracts as art forms.
I am for an Art: A manifesto-like project reflecting on political art and institutional critique7.
Call Center Installation (2009): A collaboration with a corporate communications company to juxtapose museum architecture with administrative networks1.
Young's practice exemplifies a "fourth phase" of institutional critique that moves beyond oppositional stances to engage dialogically with institutions. By doing so, she challenges traditional boundaries between art, business, and governance while encouraging critical reflection on systems of power.
