7/28/2017 0 Comments FRESH FRIDAY | TEMPORARY MUSEUMA pop-up art exhibition in Amsterdam has taken up residence in a former prison and current center for asylum seekers. The 4,300 square foot exhibition space is dedicated to showcasing a diverse selection of migrant experiences in order to share different perspectives, but also to make newcomers of the center feel welcome. Many of the works are created by refugees who are previous or current residents of the center or familiar with this type of facility.
In an effort to bring the migrant and refugee crisis to the forefront, the Temporary Museum is creating a space in which each perspective becomes individual versus a candid news story. Director and Curator of the Temporary Museum, Nathalie Faber stated, "It's all about people, and when you talk to people it's so completely different. We have learned so much from doing it about how to just to talk to each other and work with each other". In a more intimate setting, the Temporary Museum aims to create conversation between the participants, but also the viewers. Many of the artists, including Ugandan refugee, Latif Mukasa, are giving tours of the installations, providing a detailed and personal account associated with the project. Through expression and discussion, the artists involved are experiencing an opportunity to begin healing. During a time when the lack of humanity has become just another news brief, an exhibition such as this one is more about the process than the result. Establishing a space that is both a haven and a creative organism has allowed conversation to flow and understanding to occur.
0 Comments
7/21/2017 0 Comments FRESH FRIDAY | BREATHING ROOMThirty years in the making, with a strong continuation planned for the future, Mass MoCA has rehabilitated a 19th-century factory into a massive exhibition space. Founded in 1986, the MoCA has organically expanded throughout the 28 buildings that inhabit a 16-acre surrounding area. These expansive galleries are home to monumental installations that have resided there for decades. As a non-collecting institution, Mass MoCA has the ability to offer space devoted to just one piece or an entire archive, such as Laurie Anderson. A multimedia artist who has been performing at MoCA since its opening, Anderson has two gallery spaces as well as a production studio and archive, and is looking forward to another 15 years at the institution.
With a recent opening of its third expansion phase, Mass MoCA presents multiple galleries with exhibitions by artists such as Jenny Holzer, James Turrell, Louise Bourgeois, Robert Rauschenberg, and Gunnar Schonbeck. Although Mass MoCA has been a host to many rotating artistic endeavors, long term commitments provide a unique home for some of these massive installations that would not necessarily be fully conceived without the space. A rare opportunity for artists who require specific needs, Mass MoCA's full potential can be seen with James Turrell's immersive light experience, which will be featured within the walls for 25 years. Mass MoCA has also provided space that some institutions cannot access such as The Rauschenberg Foundation. Based out of Florida, the Foundation does not have the available room to showcase exhibitions. Therefore, Building 6 provides gallery space in which they can display rotating exhibitions of Robert Rauschenberg's work for the long-term. Imagined as an immense artist's studio, Mass MoCA is a special space for both artists and viewers alike. The massive allotment of space allows for a unique experience that is constantly evolving through the decades, a rare length of time for any exhibition. As the space continues to expand physically, the possibilities for artistic endeavors are endless. Check out more of Mass MoCA's programming. 6/30/2017 0 Comments FRESH FRIDAY | BEAN FINNERAN
6/23/2017 0 Comments FRESH FRIDAY | PAUL RAMIREZ JONASA recent exhibition featured 25 years of New-York-based artist Paul Ramirez-Jonas. While considering the past scope of his work, Jonas has always been interested in storytelling. Some of his early work displays his enthusiasm for adventure, for example Magellan's Itinerary (1995) retraced the steps of Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe. Although he presented this information as a past history, it was also an invitation to anyone wishing to fulfill the journey. An early and tame example of Jonas inviting a viewer to interact with his work.
As Jonas's work has evolved, the level of participation and community collaboration has greatly increased. In Mi Casa, Su Casa (2005), Jonas gave a local lecture at the San Diego/Tijuana border, introducing people who lived on either side of the border. Participants were asked to have a conversation explaining who they were to one another, where they lived, and what they did all through explaining the keys on their keychain. Jonas then asked them to pick a key off their chain, duplicate it, and then offer that key to an audience member with each person repeating the process. A simple act of trust, exchange, and a symbolic tool in which to explain one's daily life and existence. This focus on community within the public sphere has made Jonas a unique performance artist. Many of his works see a continuous public use such as The Commons (2011), in which Jonas recreated a large, riderless equestrian statue, frequently seen in public squares, but the statue is made of cork board. A medium more commonly seen in casual arenas, this horse-sized cork statue acts as a bulletin board, a place where people can communicate by sticking up fliers, posters, and messages. This use of medium versus symbolic imagery shatters the boundary between public and private, inviting the individual to partake in community. During a time when boundaries, trust, and community are even more at odds, Jonas' work is a welcome reminder of the need to remember humanity. 5/26/2017 0 Comments FRESH FRIDAY | ANICKA YI
|