day at SFMOMA
Martin Puryear at SFMOMA
This exhibit is a highlight of the 2008 exhibitions in San Francisco. The way it was installed with a couple of intriguing pieces in the lobby that intice you to want to see more. Then as you exit the elevator on the 5th floor, you are greeted with pieces that are nicely spaced. Then as you move toward the main exhibition, as you make the turn into the large open space, there is a feeling of awe, inspiration, breathlessness as you see all the pieces in this airy, naturally lit area. My friend immediately clapped her hands as she turned the corner. I am attracted to natural materials and Puryear's work uses wood. But it is more than his use of materials. His shapes are natural and familiar, funny, fantastical, weird, and makes me question what i am seeing. His pieces can be enjoyed separately but also they looked so good as a group. I think the curator/installers did a great job of staging the pieces. This show as an example for me of why i go to museums - it is a place to contemplate, to come to a spiritual place of purity and sometimes i become inspired by a work of art and have to rush back to the studio and other times i feel rejuvenated and at peace and this is how i felt about this exhibition.
I also saw "Brought to Light: Photography and the Invisible" which appealed to the nerd in me. I was reminded of the early days of studying biology, looking in the microscope and seeing the wonderful world of protozoa in a drop of water. The diatoms, vorticella, volvox, amoeba, going about their business. I wished there was more of the microscopic animal world.
This exhibit is a highlight of the 2008 exhibitions in San Francisco. The way it was installed with a couple of intriguing pieces in the lobby that intice you to want to see more. Then as you exit the elevator on the 5th floor, you are greeted with pieces that are nicely spaced. Then as you move toward the main exhibition, as you make the turn into the large open space, there is a feeling of awe, inspiration, breathlessness as you see all the pieces in this airy, naturally lit area. My friend immediately clapped her hands as she turned the corner. I am attracted to natural materials and Puryear's work uses wood. But it is more than his use of materials. His shapes are natural and familiar, funny, fantastical, weird, and makes me question what i am seeing. His pieces can be enjoyed separately but also they looked so good as a group. I think the curator/installers did a great job of staging the pieces. This show as an example for me of why i go to museums - it is a place to contemplate, to come to a spiritual place of purity and sometimes i become inspired by a work of art and have to rush back to the studio and other times i feel rejuvenated and at peace and this is how i felt about this exhibition.
I also saw "Brought to Light: Photography and the Invisible" which appealed to the nerd in me. I was reminded of the early days of studying biology, looking in the microscope and seeing the wonderful world of protozoa in a drop of water. The diatoms, vorticella, volvox, amoeba, going about their business. I wished there was more of the microscopic animal world.
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