Fictive art projects disguise their fictional essence by incorporating materials that stand as evidence for narrative factuality and thus are designed to deceive the viewer as to their ontological status.
The key tension in fictive art projects stems from the impossibility of 'making real' a fiction, no matter how many or what kinds of objects are produced as evidence.
Fictive art has antecedents going back several centuries; for example, the 'Rowley' creations of Thomas Chatterton, the 'Formosan' inventions of George Psalmanazar, or the Cottingley fairy photographs.
With the rise of mass media in the second half of the 20th century, the practice of fictive art has expanded; it now includes such familiar forms as exhibitions and mockumentaries.
Notable practitioners and projects include Norman Daly (The Civilization of Llhuros) 1972, David Wilson (The Museum of Jurassic Technology) 1988, Nicholas Kahn and Richard Selesnick (The Circular River) 1989-99, Beauvais Lyons (The Hokes Archives) 1990, Joan Fontcuberta (Sputnik) 1997, Eve Andree Laramee (Yves Fissiault) 1997, and Jim Shaw (O-ism) 1970s.