By Sharc on May 25, 2009

I visited the new Art Institute Modern Wing last weekend during the Lollapalooza-esque fervor that surrounded it’s opening. And if art holds a mirror up to nature, then the Art Institute is the fun house of art mirrors.

I have a sorted history with modern art. My father took me to the Art Institute for the first time. We meandered down the halls of ancient sculptures and studied the paintings of babies with circles behind their heads.

But when we came to the contemporary art galleries he would always shake his head and walk by. I once asked him why he was so disdainful of contemporary art. He took a deep breath and led me to his least favorite exhibit of all time, Red Plank.

"Red Plank is a fusion of painting and sculpture."

"Red Plank is a fusion of painting and sculpture."

Red Plank was a red plank leaning against the wall. This annoyed my father, but what really put him over the edge was the sign next to the installation.

I read the sign a few times, and blinked in confusion. I tugged at his plaid shirt sleeve.

“How is this a fusion of painting and sculpture?”

“Nobody knows. Either the artist is completely full of shit or he’s playing a joke on us.”

I’m a litle older and I occasionally do “get” the pieces, but reading the signs next to the art is still my favorite part of any gallery. From that perspective, the Modern Wing is a fabulous time.

My dad will be pleased to know that most of the pieces are still incomprehensible to the average human, while pompous placards tell you what they “mean”.  But the comedians at the Art Institute were careful to let me know that they think this is stupid too.  While browsing hyper-intellectual signage, I came across this for the background paper used on the wall.

What isn't art these days?

What isn't art these days?

One of my favorite pieces turned out to be Untitled (Bench), constructed from styrofoam, corrigaed cardboard, and carpet.

We're sitting on art!

We're sitting on art!

This painting is obviously a "Clear Sky". How could you have thought anything else? You must be an uncultured swine like me.

This painting is obviously a "Clear Sky". How could you have thought anything else? You must be an uncultured swine like me.

There were still a ton of bizarre pieces with unhelpful or irrational signs.  The first two floors are stacked with everything my dad hates about modern art.

On the third floor you start hitting the Kandinskys and Picassos so even the toughest dad has to give some props.

And despite the rickety stairs of death, I tramped around the Modern Wing for about three hours.

I found one second floor installation with a sign that made my top 5 all time dumbest art signs list.

Every wall was covered with images of violent hangings. A wedding dress stood in the center of the room. A bag of kitty litter leaned against each wall.  I knew at once that this had to be art.  Here is the sign that brilliantly explained what all these things were doing together.

Metaphorical Fulcrum

The painful imagery depicted on the wallpaper of this 1989 installation was meant as a reminder of fate--the ugly and unforgettable reminder of the United States' history. By putting this image on endlessly repeating wallpaper, I made an attempt to say, metaphorically, that this was not an isolated event and that in ways it has become one background. The sculpture of the wedding dress is a vase waiting to be filled. It represents the supposed white purity that often triggered and justified the violence depicted on the walls. It also represents a vessel that is ready to be filled with all the optimistic hopes and dreams of marriage. And to many Americans, Gay Americans (an estimated 10 percent of our population) it is a reminder of equality denied. The sculptures of bags of cat litter are the link between the violent imagery and the wedding dress, the metaphorical fulcrum. Cat litter both absorbs the scent of excrement (the wallpaper) and it allows for domestic intimacy (think diapers). It is also a reminder of the sacred vows that those who wear the dress profess--to care for the body of your loved ones "in sickness and in health, till death do us part." - Robert Gober

What surprised me though, was how much fun I had, and how much I could enjoy the Modern Wing, even as I mocked it. Sure, most of the pieces looked like kindergarten scribbles.  And at least 75 percent failed the “If I can do it, it’s not art” test, but even the most spectacular signs informed me a little.  And there was something pleasing in the line or color of every scribble.

The harder I looked for pompous descriptions of paintings, the closer attention I paid to them.  The funniest mockery came for the best art.

Special thanks to Karl Pichotta for the photography.  Here’s the rest of the pictures from the Art Institute trip.