This fall marks the one-year anniversary of Chris Bedford's position as director of the museum, and also marks my first full year at Brandeis. Though I have only witnessed three seasons of exhibitions, I am amazed by how much has changed at this museum haunted by the not-so-long-ago drama of its past.
On Tuesday, students, faculty, and the public flocked to the Rose Art Museum to celebrate the opening of the fall exhibitions, five in total, including: “Image Machine: Andy Warhol and Photography;” “Light Years: Jack Whitten, 1971-1973;” “Omer Fast: 5000 Feet is the Best;” “Collection in Focus: Al Loving;” and “Minimal and More: 60s and 70s Sculpture
from the Collection.”
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| Rose Art Museum Opening Reception, Photo/Mike Lovett |
The reception was graced by featured artists Jack Whitten and Omer Fast, the latter holding a talk just before the museum opening. (Check out Omer Fast's work featured at the Rose here!) I have always been tentative to explore the film medium, even in observation. It is such a stigmatized medium, especially in American culture. I was pleasantly surprised by the insightful, often emotional works Fast discussed during his talk. Through the deconstruction of film footage, Fast often recomposes or distorts film in such a way as to make the viewer ponder and question the viewing sensation. While many of his films prove narrational upon first observation, it is the subtle but often overlooked distortion of film and audio that captures the focus of Fast's work.
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| Opening Reception: so excited to work with Dustin, the other curatorial intern!
I had to stop for photo ops in front of Jack Whitten's incredible painting The Pariah Way (1973) featured in the main gallery space. The work glows with an iridescence and metallic quality that I can't quite figure out. Whitten's exhibit includes paintings that the artist had never seen stretched on canvas before, let alone publicly displayed. It was a joy to watch the artist interact with his own work.
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| Prints that Pop: Students dressed in mod attire in honor of the Warhol exhibit |
The Warhol exhibit brings out several themes that are often left unexplored in Warhol's work. Image Machine explores Warhol's use of photography in his explorations of these themes. Curated by Joe Ketner, former Rose director, the exhibit shows a masterly knowledge of the Warhol works in the collection.
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| Saturday Disaster (1964), one of Warhol's most displayed works in the Rose's collection. |
The collection's Saturday Disaster is placed in the front entrance room of the Foster wing. I have grappled with this work since I first viewed it. Even in contrast to the nudes on display, I find it a highly controversial statement... Stay tuned for more thoughts on this.
My favorite aspect of the show was one of the prints from one of Warhol's many voyeuristic filmings of his friends, which was counter-imposed on his self-portrait wallpaper. I got a kick out of watching visitors enter the room and dodge the work, their discomfort in facing Warhol's display of candid nudity so humorously apparent (not that I can blame them, it's a surprise as you round the corner).
At the end of the day, though, I think it was the cow wallpaper and Warhol "silver clouds" that stole the show. I'm a complete sucker for anything interactive, so playing with the balloons as they floated around the back staircase (which was delightfully lined with printed Warhol wallpaper) was my favorite part of the opening. I didn't know much about the balloons before the opening, in fact, I was somehow convinced they were packing materials during installation! Anyway, if you're curious, click here.
The opening was a success! The museum is alive with vibrant displays of color, textures, light, and sound, no doubt due in part to Warhol's colorful display. I am thrilled to be a part of this constantly evolving institution alongside those who are working so diligently to preserve and exhibit the rich culture of decades past. Things have been so crazy leading up to the opening though that I've hardly begun my curatorial work. Let the research begin!
While we're on that note, check out this awesome upcoming symposium at Brandeis University and the Rose Art Museum next month:
Jack Whitten: Painting, Politics, Technology
Saturday, October 5, 2:00 pm
Carl and Ruth Shapiro Admissions Center, Presentation Room
Featuring:
Rose Art Museum Curator at Large Katy Siegel
Mark Bradford
Artforum Editor Michelle Kuo
University of Virginia Associate Professor Howard Singerman
For more information about the Rose Art Museum and current exhibitions, visit http://www.brandeis.edu/rose/
