The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) presents “Open Up: A Survey of Contemporary Art in Wisconsin.” Sponsored once every three years under the name “The Wisconsin Triennial 2010” the exhibit features numerous familiar names associated with fine art in and out of Milwaukee. Mounted with no connecting factors, either alphabetically or geographically, except for several site-specific installations, the exhibit contains some exceptional highlights.
Martha Glowacki's complex shadow boxes, especially a diptych, two with the title Summa for My Mother framed in ornate silver gilt, fascinate with detail. Inside the boxes, braided linen resembling hair and bone fragments surround blackened pearl necklaces and rings. A surprising mix in elements that replicates the historical and memorial emulated through Victorian era practices, these boxes ask the view to come closer and inspect their contents while reflecting on how current culture honor their loved ones who have left them behind.
Kim Cridler's sculpture crafted from steel, bronze, mother of pearl and silver titled Pail with Fish resembles a massive bucket with classical (Greek) heritage. While bronze fish float and circle the pail rim similar to a school of goldfish, the artwork recalls a traditional Wisconsin recreational activity together with the society's need to capture nature for their enjoyment. This multi-layered aspect to this exquisite sculptural object ironically creates another object d'art for the viewer to contemplate
George Williams, Jr. was featured in recent years at The Haggerty Museum of Art on the Marquette University campus and his large-scale nudes continue to mystify the viewer. The nude remains a staple in classical antiquity, especially for art, and William's elegantly portrays the African American male in unconventional poses to communicate or provoke larger issues of concern
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Edward J. Villanueva's huge triangular archway encompasses a whole wall by constructing a contemporary facade for the museum's entranceway to their main gallery. A cacophony of color and pattern built symmetrically over the double doorway constructed within a triangular shape mixes the formal and informal, the geometric form against contemporary hues. This colorful installation playfully reinvents ancient architecture on a massive scale.
Melissa Cooke's graphite drawings from her series You Know Me Better Than I Know Myself carry portraiture to another artistic level. Concurrently featured in the Museum of Wisconsin Art's "To See Ourselves As Others See Us," the MMoCA's large-scale self-portraits illustrate a dysfunctional side to portraits. Cooke's beautifully rendered faces contrast her displaying physical characteristics, expressions, and marks usually hidden rather than revealed. A disconcerting study to viewing an uncomfortable side to another human, or even oneself, and how that questions what one observes in others on an everyday basis.
Numerous other artists present work intriguing to evaluate, along with several videos, although one wasn't functioning on this Sunday afternoon and illustrates the drawbacks to artworks dependent on technology, especially over the duration of an exhibition. Chele Issac's video There's No Fixing the Drift on a continuous loop play in a separate room envisions a disquieting water environment similar to one shown at the Charles Allis Art Museum in “New Media.” Everyone will easily discover two or three favorite pieces in this diverse exhibition. A free catalogue to carry home documents one piece from every artist while providing insight into his or her work. View this compelling exhibition as someone interested or wishing to explore the contemporary art scene in Wisconsin, and before leaving the museum pick up a Forgiveness seed packet at Douglas Rosenberg's interactive installation in the second floor main gallery. Then give it to someone. Perhaps this will happily encourage further harmony in art and life.
