Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Nari Ward and Katharina Grosse at MassMOCA, North Adams

El Anatsui and Nari Ward the day before opening of Nari's MassMOCA show in April. Photo: Chika Okeke-Agulu


During a recent trip up to Williamstown, I saw these fascinating large scale exhibitions at MassMOCA (in North Adams, MA), reputedly the largest contemporary art museum in the US. And yes, they know how to put together these incredibly complex, huge installations that make the journey to North Adams worth the while. Nari Ward, whose work I have long admired, put up a wonderful, awe-inspiring show stylishly called Sub Mirage Lignum. The center-piece of the exhibition, the monumental Nu Colossus, calls to mind so many things: fish trap for sure, but also a cocoon of some primordial giant arthropod, or the hideout of the last survivor of the final apocalypse. It also in fact has the feel and character of an ambitious neo-post-Minimalist sculpture.


Nari Ward, Nu Colossus, 2011. Photo: Chika Okeke-Agulu


Nari Ward, Mango Tourists, 2011. Photo: Chika Okeke-Agulu



The second installation that caught my attention is the work of Katharina Gross who has fashioned this muscular yet psychedelic work that makes you think of Arctic icebergs that is some way got beached in the Bahamas. Surreal. Terrifying. A strangely beautiful sight!
Katharina Grosse: One Floor Up More Highly, 2011. Photo: Chika Okeke-Agulu

Katharina Grosse: One Floor Up More Highly, 2011. Photo: Chika Okeke-Agulu

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