No one visits art museums for the permanent collections anymore. Museums employ a simple formula: special exhibitions attract visitors who feel they “must see” shows with compelling themes or “big-name” artists.
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, in preparation for its 30th anniversary, rejects this trend with its new exhibit, Gyroscope, a revival of the Museum’s permanent collection. For the first time since 1974, the Smithsonian’s modern and contemporary art museum is devoid of packaged “special exhibitions,” instead devoting itself completely to its own repository.
Although works by artists that attract crowds are invariably included (Jasper Johns, Pablo Picasso, Chuck Close, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and Alexander Calder), the enormous appeal of the exhibit lies in its show of lesser-known artists. In fact, Gyroscope is most successful in its stated mission “to provoke curiosity, discovery and revelation” with its lesser-known creations.
Gyroscope consistently engages viewers with dialogue about the integration between art and contemporary life. Each work presented requires visitors to linger and continually redefine their notions of art. Could hazelnut pollen in a large room be art? What does a large, paranoid man in a corner reveal about our society? The viewer comes away with a renewed respect for the forward-thinking curators that, over the past decades, managed to acquire these convention-defying installations.
Ann Hamilton’s solo installation “at hand” consists of several paper machines attached to the ceiling that are timed to release a few sheets of paper at varying times. Reminiscent of the plastic-bag image in American Beauty, the churning of the machines results in a mesmerized crowd and much wasted paper.
Using a diverse medium to execute a dizzying and inventive design, the intricacies of Fred Tomaselli’s “Monsters of Paradise Times Two” warrant close examination. While easily mistaken as two-dimensional from a distance, “Monsters” uses an assortment of medicinal pills and collage techniques. In addition, this is the first work in recent memory that lists marijuana as a material. (They tactfully call it “hemp leaves.”)
Another highlight is Alfredo Jaar’s “Cries and Whispers.” Two stunning color transparencies on two large light boxes portray the same time-worn man. Occupying a large passageway, one light box rests vertically on the ground, while one hangs horizontally above the visitor on the opposite wall. By positioning the man below and above visitors, the work seriously questions apathetic treatment of street people.
William Kentridge’s “Stereoscope” is a sound film transferred onto DVD that seems endless. Though sketched in black and white, a sharp blue seems to direct action in the animation. A fusion, or struggle depending on perspective, ensues between the world and its mathematical underpinnings.
Instead of relying on chronology and schools, Gyroscope is displayed according to loose subject matter. On the lower level, international contemporary artists explore ideas of humanity, persons and the spaces people inhabit. The second level raises technical and conceptual questions on how and why artists create, while the third level raises philosophical questions on alienation, science and the spirit.
Viewers inevitably will leave excited by these demonstrations of powerful contemporary art. No more visiting only for the special touring collections. Until Gyroscope’s closing, visitors to the Hirshhorn will witness its extraordinary permanent collection.
Gyroscope is on display until Jan. 4 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, located at 7th St. S.W. and Independence Ave. and accessible via the Smithsonian Metro.
