The Readymade makes explicit that worth is understood as a complex symptom of an object’s placement, dependent upon context, and subordinate to a set of various social impositions. The projection of an idea or set of ideas onto an object, thus yielding the Art object as we presently know it to be, stipulates that the worth of said object must also at its core be an imposition. Regardless of material, an idea can single-handedly elevate an object to a position apart from all others of its kind if only given the opportunity to be in the right place at the right time. And so, the prevalence of the Readymade in contemporary Art practices has inherent to its use a slew of symptomatic repercussions—the most profound of which involves the return of the readymade to its original status as object, achieved only through the elevation of said readymade to a position of great esteem. A discussion regarding the contributions of site, material, and function with respect to context and place, must occur in order to ask questions about the nature of the object, and the symptoms of objecthood.

Manuel Izquierdo Gallery, Portland, Oregon, 2011.