Where: Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
When: until January 16, 2011
As I mentioned in my last post, 'tis the season for Argentine art in DC museums. This show of Kuitca works makes a nice contrast to the show at the Ripley that I reviewed a couple of weeks ago. Rather than featuring one or two works of many artists, this show has, as its name suggests, everything by Guillermo Kuitca. It's an enormous show; every time you think you must be at the end, there's another room full of art to see. I was unfamiliar with Kuitca before I saw this show, so I was glad to see so much of his work - I feel like I know him now!
Terminal, the picture above, is the first work I saw upon entering the exhibit. It's so realistic, I stood there, expecting my bags to appear. The painting was completed in 2001, so recent changes in airport security, luggage pricing and the general mood of exasperation surrounding air travel are not reflected in this piece, but I read all of that and more in this work. Perhaps that's a definition of great art; that it continues to speak to people who see in it a commentary on events that have transpired after it was created.
Kuitca uses floor plans in his work extensively; I enjoyed looking at them, as I love examining floor plans. I always imagine where I would put furniture in the various rooms, how the people living in the house would move around, and where they would store their belongings. One of his floor plans he entitled "Childhood of Christ." I can make no sense out of the title, but I like the work.
The items which moved me the most were the maps painted on mattresses. I think the idea is that the mattress is the most intimate of locations, but road maps are general and public, with no particular meaning for the viewer. My experience, however, was completely different. One of the mattress maps was of northern Minnesota, and featured Crookston, Bemidji and Park Rapids, all places where my family members have lived. What a shock to see these small (and to anyone else meaningless) towns featured in a major modern art exhibit!
Finally, Kuitca also creates architectural plans, including The Tablada Suite. The patience necessary to draw every seat in an entire stadium is mind-boggling.
Verdict: By all means, see this show. It's quite large, but you could skim through it fairly quickly, if you looked at one or two pieces in each room.
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