“An artist is not merely the slavish announcer of a series of facts, which in this case the camera has had to accept and mechanically record.” Upon entering the exhibition, viewers are confronted with this work by John Badessari. Pulled from an art book, this quote discusses painting’s superiority over photography.

By violating traditional rules of photography and using a photographic process to develop this painting, Baldessari mocks and challenges this notion – and forces us to as well. In this way, he challenges conventional ideas of art.

John Baldessari (American, born 1931). Throwing Three Balls in the Air to Get a Straight Line (Best of Thirty-Six Attempts), 1973. Portfolio of fourteen photolithographs. Each 24.7 x 32.7 cm (9 11/16 x 12 7/8 in.). Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago. (C) John Baldessari.

John Baldessari (American, born 1931). The California Map Project Part I: California, 1969, exhibition copy 2011. Twelve inkjet prints of images and a typewritten sheet. Each image, 20.3 x 25.4 cm (8 x 10 in.); sheet, 21.6 x 27.9 cm (8 1/2 x 11 in.). Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York and Paris (C) John Baldessari.

This humorous critique of conventional understandings of art sets the stage for the rest of the exhibition. Light Years, curated by Matthew S. Witkovsky, is a massive show (more than 140 works by 57 artists are included) that asks a lot of its viewers; but it is certainly worth your time. Conceptual art, while often amusing, is also dense, complicated, and can produce more questions than answers. Indeed, the show is not meant to be easily consumed. Light Years will not make every visitor happy—this is not a show filled with eye-pleasing watercolors, after all. But the exhibition respects its audiences – viewers are not overwhelmed with didactics explaining the works and theories behind; instead, we are allowed to interact with the works and participate in their meaning. While some of the works do require a more physical interaction, every work requires viewers to puzzle over their significance without receiving a wealth of didactic cues. Instead of being given tidy answers, viewers are asked to contemplate these works and their meaning(s).

Annette Messager (French, born 1943). Voluntary Tortures (Les Tortures Volontaires), Album-Collection No. 18, 1972. Eighty-six gelatin silver prints. Individual and overall dimensions variable. Richard and Ellen Sandor Art Foundation (C) Artists Rights Society (ARS).

Marcel Broodthaers Belgian, 1924–1976. Portrait of Maria Gilissen with Tripod (Portrait de Maria Gilissen avec Statif), 1967. Gelatin silver emulsion on canvas with tripod Canvas, 101.5 x 83.5 cm (39 15/16 x 32 7/8 in.); Tripod, 110 x 82 x 62 (43 5/16 x 3 1/4 x 2 7/16 in.). Caldic Collectie, Rotterdam. (C) 2011 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SABAM, Brussels.

The opening text for Light Years states that perhaps “the lasting legacy of Conceptual Art [is] the establishment of contemporary art as a field without a medium.” This field without a medium is well represented. Indeed, viewers are asked to reflect on their understandings of both photography and art and are, maybe, left asking themselves that age-old question: what is art?

Dennis Oppenheim (American, 1938-2011). Stage 1 and 2. Reading Position for 2nd Degree Burn Long Island. N.Y. Materal... Solar Energy. Skin Exposure Time. 5 Hours June 1970, 1970. Two chromogenic photographic prints, plastic labeling tape, mounted together on green board with graphite annotations. Overall: 81 x 66 cm (31 7/8 x 26 in.). Top photo: 20.1 x 25.8 cm; bottom photo: 20.2 x 25.5 cm; Image/text area: 41.8 x 25.8 cm. Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection. (C) Dennis Oppenheim Estate.

The Art Institute of Chicago is located at 111 South Michigan Avenue. For more information, call 312.443.3600 or visit AIC.

Karen Greenwalt is a Gallery Graduate Assistant at Gallery 400 and a PhD student in Art History at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is a local contributor to The Seen.