ABSTRACT
This chapter charts the history of the charity after it was founded in 1985 as The Artangel Trust by art historian Roger Took, then taken over by James Lingwood and Michael Morris in 1991. It looks into how its programming has subtly articulated the political accent of its projects with the question of site, and how this locational question has evolved over time. Artangel support art practices not easily encouraged by more established frameworks and are primarily concerned with issue-based work which they develop in the public sphere. By focusing on, and being recognised for, the originality of the sites they choose, they confirm that contemporary art is as much defined by its context – spatial, temporal, political etc. – as by form. The ephemeral quality of these projects confirms their ability not to be tied down to commodification and institutionalisation. Since its creation in the late 1980s, Artangel has been described as ‘uncompromising’ in its promotion of multi-media artworks, and of both new and more experienced artists. Over that period, they have also acquired a distinctive aura, which makes projects funded by Artangel ‘Artangel projects’. But, while during its early years, its leaflets stressed the notions of ‘controversial art’, ‘community in urban areas’, as well as its ‘educational role’, some of that focus might have shifted slightly over its three-decade existence.
