BoU or the Bureau of Untitled is a collective artwork/performance initiated by Various Artist Lima Drib (Liverpool, 1961) and represents an arbitrary group of artists, critics and art lovers that develop, during a three hour performance, new ideas or concepts for a selected 'valued by the art market' artist . The ideas proposed by the Bureau to these artists can be bought for  a 'fair' market price. 

 

Every time BoU assembles, (the group consisting of two teams, one dressed white on black, the other black on white, an a referee dressed in black and white) they choose an internationally renowned artist to process. During the gathering a myriad of ideas, and concepts are being pitched by several members of the teams. At the end of the session the results are being categorised into value groups, and presented for sale to the selected artist, or as an intermediary his, or her Gallery. They get the first change to acquire BoU's propositions. After a fixed period of time the proposals will be opened up to other artists.

By generating art for a market, the Bureau of Untitled is embracing a system it wants to counter. Infecting the system, and getting payed for, is the ultimate goal to accomplish this. What goes around, comes around.

 

BoU wants to challenge commercial artists by trying to lure them into it's project. Participating artists have little to loose if they buy one of the untitled BoU products. On the contrary, they become the sole owner of their purchase, and only anonymous BoU members will know when a BoU idea is being used/produced. Although, their consciousness and authenticity may suffer from this innocent act, it could be good for their status, since they're investing in an odd, but critical art project. 

Previous sessions:

Craigie Horsfield, Liam Drib, Antony Gormley, Guillaume Bijl, Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven, Koen van den Broeck