Mass MoCa Visit

I recently visited the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art or more commonly known as the Mass Moca, in North Adams, Mass.  The size of the museum is extremely overwhelming as it is housed in a variety of old factory buildings, dating back to 1872.  The Mass Moca opened its doors in 1999 but started the process of raising funds in 1986.  It is the largest center for contemporary visual art and performing arts in the country.

The exhibit that I found most interesting at the museum was Material World: Sculpture to Environment which will be running until February 2011.  They transformed the factory space, using a variety of industrial produced materials to make up their exhibits.  There are around seven different artists who have been involved in exhibit.  They are using ordinary, everyday materials to create these different exhibits of installation art.  The two pieces that really caught my attention in the exhibit were The Geometry of Light and Big Boss.  

The piece, Big Boss, by Orly Genger and it is made up of 100 miles painted red knotted rope.  The piece is overwhelming in size as it sprawls out onto the floor.  It reminds me of a waterfall, the way it comes up from the way it comes out onto the floor.  After looking at information on the work, I came to understand that Orly is attempting to show the different between masculinity and feminist.  She is using knotted ropes which are extremely heavy but also incorporates a knitting technique. 

The second piece that I really enjoyed was Geometry of Light, by Alyson Shotz.  This piece was beautiful, made up of strands of wire holding together lens plates and silver glass beads.  It reflected the light, making it shimmer and reminded me of a cob web covered in dew.  The shadows that came off the piece were very impressive.  Through research I was able to find that Shotz is very interesting in incorporating contrast in her pieces. 

        Over all I really enjoyed my visit to the Mass MoCa.  The museum was massive and it would take forever to get through the entire space.  I thought this exhibit was great and would love to go back another time to view more. 

Dave Hickey

I agree with Kait, this piece does really remind me of Mona Lisa's Curse.  It discusses the issue of artists caring more about money than art.  Hckey says that there are people out there that really care about art, but there are a lot more than care about the money.  He believes that people are selling out.  In the past people did not get into the art world to make money, it was for a passion, but today people are too focused on the money.  He basically implies that money is not everything, its benefits are great but it just buys you objects.  He says that art dealers are not dealing art but are just selling, basing prices of art on the artists name. 

Andrea Zittel

Andrea Zittel is a very unique artist who has a very different look on life.  She seems to look at things with an eye of a minimalist, living life with a single outfit for every four weeks and in small spaces.  Zittel is most known for her "Living Units", an experimental piece in which you live and only have necessities.  What really caught my attention about Zittel, was the personal fantasy island she created in 1999.  The 44-ton island, located off the coast of Denmark was where Zittel lived for a month.  She stated that she was interested in living there to get away from everyone.  She wanted to be isolated and enjoy her space.  I think that it would be so weird if we all lived on our own islands.  Although it might be cool to move the island throughout the world, it would be very difficult and ridiculous.  I think that people need socialization to in order to survive and stay sane.  What I was wondering was, what if something happened to her on the island, what would she do?  Was there electricity and running water? 

Improv Every Where

I found most of improv everywhere to be so stupid but so funny.  The different events that the site puts on are so unique and attention getting.  I really enjoyed the different bits on the subway such as No Pants Subway Ride and Star wars Subway Car.  These little shows are shocking and surprising for unsuspecting observers, who are not prepared for their antics.  This type of installation art is very different from what we have seen in the class.  This sight and these events have really caught the attention of many.  The No Pants Subway Ride has grown from only seven to over 5,000 participants.  It is in its ninth year of running and is starting to catch on around the world. 

Spencer Tunick

Before this class I have actually seen some of Spencer Tunick's work and found his pictures to be very attention grabbing.  I was always curious as to how he was able to get so many people to come together and stand together for a naked photograph.  It was interesting to learn that artists put out calls for volunteers and people actually take the time to go.  These pictures are very unique, but I find it weird to be standing nude around a group of people.  I cannot imagine how he is able to clear out such popular places, such as grand central station, in order to take pictures.  I really like the imagines where they are so zoomed out you are not sure whether or not they are people.  Everything just kind of blends together with the area they photographing in. 

Curse of the Mona Lisa

The film, Curse of the Mona Lisa, provided viewers with a different perspective on the art world.  We were able to see how the art world has turned from a passion to a cost driven market.  Many new artists seem to have only a focus on making money from their artwork.  Older artists and critiques are disheartened by the change in the art market.  It is amazing to see how some art is sold for million and millions of dollars.  Art has become a serious business.  It started in the 70's when museums started to market shows/exhibits and held events for big businesses.  This helped changed the face of art and bring about an income in a business that was losing money.  I was surprised to see this different world of art, however found it to be very interesting. 

Dorthy & Herb

The story of Dorthy and Herb was a very touching one.  They are an adorable couple who have simply become famous for their art collection.  Not one where they buy individual pieces for millions of dollars, but one they have gathered over a life time and bought just purely for their love of modern art.
Over the years they have managed to build a collection of 4,782 works mostly focusing on conceptual and minimalist art.  They kept all these pieces in their small NYC apartment until 1992 when they decided to transfer the works to the National Gallery of Art. Dorthy and Herb were offered millions and millions of the dollars but they two did not sell their collection.  This shows how truly genuine their love of art it.  They were not collecting with the hopes of getting rich, but were collecting purely for the love of it. 

Sun Flower Seeds

I really loved Ai Weiwei's piece at the Tate Modern.  His exhibit for the sunflower seeds was so different.  It was so interesting to watch him go through the process of making the seeds from clay to having each one individually hand painted.  I was not only captured by the art but also his moral consideration.  He is having the hand painting done by people in a small poverty stricken town.  He is bringing work to people that typically would not be making money.  I am not sure how well they are being paid, but they seem very welcoming to him and the jobs he has brought to the area.  However, it is unfortunate that his art is causing health concerns at the museum.  This leads one to question whether or not there should be health concerns for the workers who are handling these seeds daily. 

Installation Art

Song Dongs Installation Art, Waste Not, is a creative piece that allows viewers to get an insight into Chinese culture.  I found the piece to be fascinating because Song Dongs mother collected and saved a variety of  objects, things that we would consider garbage.  They help explain both the Chinese culture and mentality of not wasting anything but also see how culture developed over 50 years.   It is unbelievable to see how many objects people can accumulate in their life.  In our society we would consider a person that keeps such a collection as a hoarder.  Their accumulations would not be considered historic or artistic. 

Appropriation of Art

The appropriation of art has become a huge issues among many of today's modern artists.  As we become more technologically advanced, artists are able to do much more than ever before.  Today, many artists find images in everyday life and use them in their work, but slightly alter the art so that it is left with a unique look they have designed.  Now more than ever, the U.S. is starting to crack down on copyright laws when it comes to appropriation.  It is seen as copying and many countries are starting to follow the U.S.'s lead on toughening the laws.  The more strict the laws, the more difficult it will become to practice this type of art.  Eventually it seems like it will just become all together illegal.  However, artists see these copyright laws as a restriction of their creativity and expression.  A piece of art that was somewhat recently in the news for appropriation was Sherard Fairey's Obama Hope piece.  Although the picture is somewhat altered, the original image comes from a photographer who workers for the Assosiated Press.  The photographer saw his image and sued Fairey, forcing him to pay for using his work.  I think that appropriation can lead to some very creative and unique pieces, but copyright laws do need to be obeyed. 

Contemporay Art - Frank Stella

The piece of contemporary artwork that I found is titled Harran II is by Frank Stella. Frank Stella is an American painters and printmaker who was born on May 12, 1936.  Stella went to Princeton and is regarded as one of the most well known postwar American painters.  This particular piece is a very colorful piece that is just made up of circles and squares.  The work of art was completed in 1967.  It is a made from polymer and fluorescent polymer paint on a canvas.  The painting does not seem like it would be very complex to make, it reminds me almost of a doodle I would draw in the margin of my notebook.  The piece of artwork is part of the beginning of Stella's Protractor series.  The artist really seemed to put a lot of thought into his piece as it is made up of defined pairs of horizontal and vertical lines that intersect at right angles.  He is said to have brought abstract and decorative painting together in a way that goes against traditions.  Harran II follows a motif that is present throughout most of the series.  The title of this piece and most of the other paintings in the series come from ancient cities in Asia Minor.   Although at first I found it to be rather simple, I realize that there is actually more to it.  The overlapping circles and squares make the design unique.  The colors are very bright and vibrant, grabbing my attention and giving it a retro look.

Beauty of Art

I found the reading that we read for todays class to be very confusing.  I did not really understand what the author was saying.  The only thing I took away from the piece is that art is beautiful and beauty is what sells.  However it did not seem like the author was saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to art.  I think that all art sells, all different kinds of art.  People like what they like and find what they think is beautiful, beautiful.  It seemed more like the artist was saying that the only art that sells is that which is pushed by art dealers, and those art dealers do not care about the art.  I could be completely off thought and maybe I'm just confused...

Bruce Nauman Video Art

I find it hard to understand how people find Bruce Nauman's video art to be art.  I found the video's to be lengthy and boring.  His video titled "Setting a Good Corner" is like watching an instructional video on how to build a fence.  The clown video was especially annoying and I cannot imagine walking through a gallery having to listen to that replay continually.  However I do really like his neon sign art.  They are very unique and I feel like they would go over well with a younger crowd.  The neon works very with different quotes and images that can appeal to many people. 

The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, was a piece that really grabbed my attention today in class.  It is a very interesting and different piece that looks like it can terrify the onlooker.  In the picture Ii looked at on the web,the shark looks fierce and ready to strike.  It is amazing to be able to see such a dangerous animal up so close and personal.  A person is able to compare themselves to the shark and really get an idea of what it would be like to go up against one.  We are never truly able to just see a shark on this level on a regular basis.  I thought that it was interesting when someone pointed out that it an ironic piece of art where the role of the victim is switched.  This particular pieces also reminded me of an exhibit that travels the world called "Bodies: The Exhibit".  The body exhibit takes humans old, young, and those with medical conditions and allows onlookers to see them in a different light.  It shows them with different layers of skin, muscles, nerves, etc.  It is similar to pieces of Damien Hirst's art, only he he uses animals instead of humans. These exhibits allow the viewer to get a unique and natural view, teaching them a lot about both the human and animal body.

Marcel Duchamp

Before this class I had never heard of Dada art, let alone Marcel Duchamp and his ready-mades. This unconventional art never really struck me as great art.  However, after doing some research on Marcel I found that he had a profound influence and helped lead the way of what modern art was and has become today.  I really found it interesting that he took pieces that we encounter in every day life and used them as art.  He thought out of the box and made people look at these ready-mades and think about these ordinary objects.  After looking up some more ready-mades that Duchamp made I really began to think about why he choose these specific objects.  What makes these objects anymore significant than any other object?  I looked up info on his ready-mades and it says Duchamp had no reason for choosing his objects he just did.  The one that I really liked was Bicycle Wheel.  He put this together because he was amused by watching the wheel go round and round.