The conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner (born 1942) conceived this work as a set of instructions calling for a can of white paint to be sprayed for exactly two minutes at forty pounds of pressure. Although the realization of the work can also take the form of a text that defines it, the execution in a material form follows a set of rather banal instructions. Because Weiner’s work can be realized on the basis of instructions using readily available materials, it is assured constant renewal in a number of indefinitely variable forms. In this respect, it is similar to Zen for Film, which materializes anew and continues to exist through multiple iterations. Like Paik’s artwork, Weiner’s Gloss white lacquer . . . poses questions as to whether a work can exist simultaneously in several locations and in how many, and whether the act of making the work on the occasion of every “installation” can ever be experienced again in the same way. Repetition signifies difference. The works of both Weiner and Paik invite us to reconsider how we conceive of iterant artworks and how they may evolve over time. —AG

Image: The Museum of Modern Art, The Seth Siegelaub Collection, Gift of James Thrall Soby (by exchange), 399.2010. © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY. © 2015 Lawrence Weiner / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.