You Can Look, But Don’t Touch
The ‘thingness’ of art, and finding meaning in materiality
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I suppose I shouldn’t really admit this, but sometimes I find looking at art in big galleries not terribly enjoyable. There’s something formulaic about the presentation of art in most of these traditional museum settings that can send me straight into a zombie-like daze: it’s the overwhelming number of artworks to look at in room after room of white walls and high ceilings, and the blurb on the walls that you know you should read but as soon as you try to a yawn starts to come and your eyes glaze over. Engaging art can get lost in the endlessness of it all.
I’ve been thinking this week about some of the exhibitions I’ve seen recently. Which artworks have stopped me in my tracks, and why? Of course what has impact or resonance or meaning is personal to each of us based on our own individual histories, experiences, and ways of looking at the world.
