Auto Destructive art is a comprehensive theory conceived by Gustav Metzger. It works with the irreversible destruction and complete alteration of materials over time, usually caused by the environment the installation is placed in. The term is not limited to the production of art work, it is committed to protesting against war, capitalism and consumerism, while holding a left wing revolutionary position in politics.
When reading Auto Destructive art, Metzger at AA, a transcript of a speech he gave. I noticed similarities between buddhism’s main teachings and some of Metzger’s key beliefs outlined in his manifesto. Destruction is used as a means to an end in both ways of thinking. In buddhism destruction is used to better oneself. The 2nd universal truth of buddhist teaching is that everything changes, and to attempt to learn this and realise this a practice called mandala is undertaken. Patterns made in sand are painstakingly made by a monk before being destroyed. Attempting to learn to let go of the past. In auto destructive art destruction is used as a tool to create awareness around the deterioration of the world at the hands of capitalism. Metzger says ‘Auto destructive art sets up a kind of mirror image of reality. Society is deteriorating. So is the scupture.’ In reality, the similarities between the two ways of thinking are only surface level. They set out to achieve different goals only sharing one ideal, anti violence. which is also voiced by many other religions around the world.
My opinion on Metzger’s theory is mixed. I really appreciate the artistic side of the theory, creating installations out of construction materials is aesthetically pleasing to me as I enjoy the urban metropolis jungle look. The idea of allowing the environment to destroy the piece of art, allowing the surrounding to affect how the installation looks over time is something I find intriguing and would somehow like to incorporate in my own work in the future. On the other hand, I find the ideas put forward by Metzger contradicting. The sculptures he wants to produce relies heavily on some of the worst parts of capitalist culture, creation of one of his sculptures will cost upwards of thousands of pounds and will require support from investors, often taking advantage of the capitalist system he hates so much. Metzger admits this himself, ‘Auto destructive art will be financed by the state, local authorities, the universities and monopoly capitalism. I know this involves enormous contradictions but the theory is full of contradictions’. His theory is inevitably floored from the get go because of this reliance, and almost comes across as performative due to these glaringly obvious polar opposites.