Field Trip 1

Art and Identity: The Museum of Modern Art

As a native New Yorker, I, like many others take for granted all of the wonderful things the city has to offer; one of them being the Museum of Modern Art. Today this museum is better known throughout the world as the MoMa. Visiting the museum made me think back to a post on my art blog on what good and bad art represent to me. As I walked through different exhibits, again I saw many people gawk at certain artwork and I simply couldn’t make the connection. This is why art is such a unique and beautiful subject; there is no correct view or answer.

The first exhibit I walked through was the “Contemporary Galleries: 1980-Now”. I had to actually walk through twice and noticed that I had walked right past things as obvious as installations and artists’ projects. What I did begin to see and apply where things learned through our lecture videos, so my appreciation grew even more. Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s “Untitled” Placebo 1991 was very simple, yet unique. My original thought was these are just silver wrappers on the floor, I had not noticed that they were actually individually wrapped candies in silver cellophane. As I read about the installation, I learned that Felix Gonzalez-Torres created these types of installations by using everyday objects. What truly touched my heart was the reason behind putting together this piece in memory of his partner he lost due to AIDS. His installation had meaning and while they welcomed you to taking a piece of candy, at some point that piece would be replaced to maintain the installation.

The next piece that moved me was Doris Salcedo’s “Untitled” 1995. As a Latina, it made me extremely proud to see artworks displayed that were from Latino artists. Again as I walked past the piece of furniture I could not see what the significance was. As I read about Doris Salcedo’s experience, I was again touched. She spent weeks with family members and loved ones of the victims of the civil war in Colombia. One of the great things an artist can do is make a statement and/or form an expression. I was able to see why Doris Salcedo used furniture and clothing in her installations. She connected them to what you would find in homes and made them resemble human bodies of these victims. While the furniture had arms and legs, the head was missing.

Art can also be presented in the form of a video. There was an exhibit by Mark Boulos “All That Is Solid Melts Into Air” 2008. There were two videos going on about Shell Oil in Nigeria and the United States simultaneously; one depicted a negative effect and one a positive effect. The negative effect showed a village in Nigeria where poverty, scarce food and clean water were unheard of. As a result, people were angry, had hate towards white society and openly threatened to kidnap and kill for their beliefs. Due to the major oil wells Shell has, people are unable to fish let alone swim in the water. The other video portrayed how these oil wells make the stock market grow, cities grow and continue to develop. The videos last about 15 minutes and I actually saw them twice. It was extremely moving and truly made me have compassion for the people of Nigeria and think about how we enjoy everything around us without sometimes knowing how it can affect others around the world.

The second exhibit I visited was the “Cindy Sherman” exhibit. I really wanted to cross paths with my professor because this exhibit truly did not move or impact me. Yet again, some seemed mesmerized by the paintings and portraits. Cindy Sherman had “cannibal-like” impulses expressed through fairytales, very awkward clowns and I just couldn’t make anything out of the exhibit. I believe artists such Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Doris Salcedo and Marc Boulos, all have something in common. They have a message that they are delivering through their art. Their information can certainly be expressed via the media, yet it has a different effect when brought to life utilizing their talents.