Joseph Kosuth – Map to Indicate (E.L., L.C.)

In Joseph Kosuth's Map to Indicate (E.L., L.C.) (1992), the artist uses language itself as the central material of the artwork. The silkscreened and embossed print features a quotation from Lewis Carroll's Sylvie and Bruno Concluded (1889), in which a map drawn at a scale of one mile to one mile becomes so exact that it is indistinguishable from the land it represents.

Through this paradox, Kosuth explores the fragile relationship between representation and reality. The text highlights how systems of meaning break down when a model attempts to fully replicate what it describes, a recurring concern throughout Kosuth's conceptual practice. Rather than illustrating an idea, the words function as the artwork, emphasizing language as both form and content.

The work also carries a subtle cultural irony, referencing ideals of precision and order while questioning their usefulness. Published in 1992 in a limited edition of 100 screenprints, Map to Indicate (E.L., L.C.) is hand-signed and numbered by the artist, reflecting Kosuth's ongoing investigation into how language shapes perception and situating the artwork firmly within the tradition of text-based and conceptual art influenced by Dada and Surrealism.

Joseph Kosuth is an American artist and theorist widely recognized as one of the central figures in the development of conceptual art. Since the mid-1960s, his practice has fundamentally redefined the relationship between language, meaning, and the artwork itself, foregrounding ideas over traditional concerns of form, material, or aesthetic expression.

Kosuth's work is grounded in the conviction that art operates as a philosophical inquiry. Rather than using visual imagery to represent the world, he employs language as his primary medium, treating words as both subject and structure. This approach is exemplified by his seminal work One and Three Chairs (1965), which juxtaposes a physical chair, a photograph of that chair, and a dictionary definition of the word "chair," exposing how meaning is constructed through linguistic and cultural systems rather than inherent visual properties.

Throughout his career, Kosuth has produced installations, texts, public artworks, and editions that investigate how language frames perception and knowledge. His text-based artworks, including neon installations and limited edition prints, extend his theoretical concerns into diverse contexts, translating conceptual rigor into accessible yet intellectually demanding formats.

In parallel with his artistic practice, Kosuth has played a significant role in shaping critical discourse around conceptual art. He was closely associated with the Art & Language movement and has articulated his position through influential writings, notably asserting that conceptual art is defined by an inquiry into the nature of art itself.

Kosuth's work has been exhibited extensively in major international institutions and has exerted a lasting influence on subsequent generations of artists working with text, appropriation, and political language. Born in 1945 in Toledo, Ohio, he lives and works between New York and London.