Scum Bucket With Flies

Although institutional theory is technically a way of distinguishing art from non-art and classifying what is apart of the 'art-world' and what is not apart of the 'art-world', it holds no relevance to my actual experience of 'art' and this so called 'art world'. I say this because I stood looking at a bucket and mop for more than a minute at Cockatoo Island only realising that it was not actually a work of art with social and political undertones but actually a real life bucket and mop with no social and no political undertone. This also happened to me at a local gallery. I read the artist statement and looked at what I thought was the work right beside it. I looked at the artist statement again and then again at the work beside it. My head rallied for a good thirty seconds and I decided that what I read and what I saw loosely married...In the end, this 'work' was actually the gallery's fully functioning ventilation system and the work of art was out of my peripheral vision, and on the floor.

If I look at this 'institutional theory' and the noted 'typical' characteristics of spotting and defining and understanding art (or 'artifacts') my encounter with the bucket and mop and ventilation system seems slightly... acceptable. It is without this theory where my encounter with these objects (that were seemingly artistically placed in the context of a standard art 'institution' I swear!) seems rather pathetic and truthfully shameful.

P.S How does one become a member of this 'artworld'? Do we have to have an understanding of art theory and art history as written in these 'texts? Obviously, my appreciation, understanding and current knowledge of contemporary art failed me in these given examples (yes, this does suggest there have been others) so there must be another way. Perhaps there is an initiation process involving paddles and beer...? I hope so.