Wednesday, December 3, 2008

MOMA otra vez...

So I went to the MOMA the other week and experienced, not saw, "The Art of Participation, 1950 To Now" exhibition. I was enthralled in how amazing it was. Almost the entire show was interactive, where the viewers could participate, build ongoing sculptures, act out a scene or touch the art. Since the first time any of us has walked into a museum, we've been told, "do not touch the work of art!!" either nicely or in a menacing way...so it was quite refreshing to touch the art. There was one exception to this. In the final corner of the exhibit, there was a sculpture/ installation piece featuring a wall full of beer on shelves. In front of that was a large fridge with the words "free beer" written on the fridge door. Instantly I wanted to open the fridge, and instantly the docent came over and reprimanded a man who actually followed through and was trying to open it!
I was very excited by Erwin Wurm's work. He had an entire wall covered in his one minute sculptures, and then a platform with implements and instructions for the viewers participation. I participated, of course. There was a video of the original "Cut Piece" by Yoko Ono viewed next to a current remake of the same piece. There was an entire piano along with blank liner notes in ode to John Cage. The exhibit could have been borderline childish, but it was more like a sophisticated Exploratorium for adults. I loved it!

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