I think I’m suffering from art world fatigue. I was hoping to write about inspiring exhibitons and artworks I’ve seen over the past two months through my travels through North America. But alas, its all started to become repetitive – every modern gallery has its requisite Warhol, Jones, Rothko, Hirst and Beuys. Oh look, another Monet. Here however are reflections of some of the sociological and political themes which have peppered my trip. I put the challenge to artists, art curators and museum directors to try and reflect these concerns in their exhibitions, and most importantly to bring them to the public.
Travelling though San Francisco, Boston and New York the displacing effects of globalisation are incredibly evident. Its a worldwide phenomenon – where professional, typically white, young people migrate to a city for career opportunity, with subsequent gentrification and homogenisation of once dynamic, diverse and distinct neighbourhoods. Everything ends up the same across all these cities – they just barrack for a different NBA team. Ideologically, they also start to exist in a vacuum, and fail to see how other people see the world. The one exhibition that delved into this was Mega Cities Asia at Boston MFA – but it failed to draw parallels with what is happening across the Western world.
This elitism is also palpable in many of the artistic and academic institutions across cities. Throughout my travels, I found myself drawn to the true public spaces, as an escape. Public parks, community gardens, public libraries, public transport, the beach and of course National Parks. They felt somehow so much more egalitarian and accessible for all people to enjoy. To me, all the treasures in the MET are worth nothing in comparison to Central Park. Ditto the MFA Boston and the community garden in Fenway Park.
Maybe what I’m really calling for is the end of the museum as the primary place for art. Is it time to move it out into public spaces, as a tool to combat the divisive effects of globalisation? I hope so, and I hope it works.
Through the looking glass 