Converstation between Tristan and Lewitt

Ever since Tristan Tzara passed away, he has watched the Earth from the afterlife. He decorated the space that he inhabits it with many newly Dada recreations that he longed to share with someone since his passing. On April 8 2007, he finally had a chance to speak with Sol Lewitt that died from cancer. Here’s how it went.

Tristan : Well look who we got here.

Sol: Good day to you Mr. Tzara. Didn’t expect to see you here.

Tristan: I know who you are because I’m dead, but how do you know me? And why would you not expect me to be in heaven?

Sol: I’ve read about you, you’re with the Dadaist. Your extreme views are not very popular in modern times

Tristan: Modernism only leads to systems that men try to make sense of through logic. Meaning in life must be logical to them. You can’t force something as faulty as logic to make sense any sense. I’ve been watching your work as well and I can say minimalism is the closest ideal to Dadaism that have been created until your death don’t you think?

Sol: I don’t really do interviews Tristan, but I can say that my work is simple and basic. Artists could be anyone such as architects because they do beautiful work. I’m one with little words because I want people to appreciate my art for what it is, and not how it makes sense in the world.

Tristan: Your work does have a degree of representation in it. You do not think of art as a private affair if you place your work in museums and even have people help you create your work. I don’t recall what the name of your piece is called, but it’s the ones that you’ve made with sculptures that resemble the sky scrapers in the background. Those works and many of your works are praised by newspapers and articles that just seems senseless to me. You obviously want the attention of other people, you do not produce for yourself.

Sol: I believe you’re mistaken. I don’t see myself as a famous artist nor do I like my picture in the newspaper.

Tristan: Your work calls too much attention to itself. They are too colorful. They are too big. They are too publicized. Look at variation in height that calls too much attention to the eye. The bold ocean blue color relates too much to the seas. The blood red is awful. And the bright banana yellow serves no purpose.

Sol: Mr. Tzara, I do see that you seem to contradict yourself while trying to uphold your stronghold. I do remember you mentioning that businesses and advertisements are also elements of abstraction and poetry. Are those not publicized?

Tristan: Don’t you dare question me! Don’t you dare question me when you do not dance to your own boomboom. People love your work, but they do not know that it is only a mere attempt to be like the Dadaist. Artists’ work should be controversial and insulted. We know what other regular people don’t know. I resent you have taken my manifesto and turned it into what you call “minimalism.” Minimal does not mean individualism or simplicity. It is the minimal. The meaning of our dirt sour lives is to push our artwork to the limit. Every work is like the last one we will do.

Sol: I feel sorry for you Mr. Tzara. There must be few things in life that you were happy about before you passed on. Eventually I believe your madness became the only thing you knew. The yellow in my work must serve a purpose? I think I honored your writing more than who you really are. The variation in my work only came out because it represented me and what I wanted to make. The colors came to me suddenly. I too believe logic in art is a waste of time, I think you should reconsider who are your enemies.