howcouldiknow

The MCA’s “The one hundred and sixty-third floor: Liam Gillick Curates the Collection” was AMAZING!  It was great to see this after my class on conceptual art as well as my museums class that discussed alternative exhibition techniques.  Gillick chose objects from the MCA collection and displayed them in the salon format in  mostly alphabetical order.  The text panels were pulled from archive texts at the MCA that did not correlate with the image presented.  The exhibition encouraged the viewer to create their own interpretations and connections.  It reminded me of Fred Wilson’s “Mining the Museum” though perhaps without as much racial and cultural commentary.

“Italics: Italian Art between Tradition and Revolution 1968–2008″ was really exciting new (to me) work.   I also got a chance to go by the Art Institute and see the new exhibitions.  I have now been to this museum every few months and I was really impressed by how strong their rotating exhibitions were and how much there was to see despite my familiarity with the museum.  I also felt differently walking through after what I have learned in the last quarter.  It definitely alters my viewpoint and I have developed new tastes and understanding.

There was a small Irving Penn tribute that I am sure will later turn into a much more extensive retrospective exhibition as they possess many of his prints as well as correspondence, files and contact sheets.  I would love to see an exhibition featuring contact sheets and the corresponding final prints.

“Playing with Pictures: The Art of Victorian Photocollage” turned out to be much more interesting than I thought it would be.  These forefathers to photographic manipulation and scrap-booking were filled with humor and personality.  The often meticulously crafted pages turned out to be much more than the doodling of idle women living a life of luxury.

I didn’t buy any post cards though I should have.  I hate museum stores, they make me feel like a yuppy.  One day they will have a starbucks inside a museum store and then I will spontaneously combust.

So, leaving Chicago on the train tonight, back at school/work/class tomorrow.  Love you, see you soon.