The power of an exhibition, whether it be artistic, theatrical, musical, or literary, resonates with me when I'm surprised by its influence days/weeks/years later. Entertainment is one thing, beauty another, but influence is elusive. The More Real exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts has influenced my days, the way I think, and I'm not sure there's higher praise for a Saturday afternoon experience. That influence is probably fleeting, soon to be shuffled behind future experiences, but for now, it's the mental nugget my brain is gnawing on.
The leaflet floating around for the show uses a quote from Time, "Art Lies. that's one of the things it does best. And if it does it right, it points to some kind of truth every time." Walking through the exhibition, the patron is struck by one "kind of truth" after another. Early on, one experiences Ai Weiwei's "Colored Vases" as a powerful example of that question of veracity. Are the vases really priceless, ancient works? Are they fakes? Surely he would not destroy a treasure of antiquity...surely not...
I was impacted by the pieces most when I stood at a distance first. We were told upon entering the exhibit that we should make sure and read the didactics on the wall. Important, to be sure. But part of the power of these works is in recognizing how your first impression surfaces, and what it takes to dissuade you of that impression.
The work that has stuck with me, however, as a work by Iris Haussler, and I struggle with giving away too much because I don't want to rob anyone else of my surprise. Because it's a fascinating surprise. Instead of speaking too much about the particular installation piece, I'll link to the artist's wikipedia page. Suffice it to say, I left the museum believing a story that was not true. And it was a story that stuck with me, tragic and beautiful and powerful. It was only upon googling around for more background on that tragic story that I discovered I'd been duped, expertly so. And I just keep coming back to that moment of realization and what it says about our ease in believing what is written, what sounds plausible. And a story so intricate and beautiful in its sadness, just seems like it should exist. I remain fascinated by that story, but even more fascinated by the mind that created it. Because most people will not google the way I did, they'll forget the work. They'll incorporate that story as truth into an experience they had at a museum. They may even tell friends bits and pieces of that story, that lovely lie. So there is "truth" by individual definition floating around out there that is 100% false. And my own truth is hobbled together by wikipedia, not necessarily the hallmark of veracity. Just fascinating.
I'll have to go back, of course, to revisit the space of my manipulation, and to dig deeper into what it means to be a fact and what it takes to dissuade us of the facts to which we cling.
The More Real exhibit is open for your own curiosity and exploration through June 9. It's worth the $14 price tag, or make sure and check it out on a Third Thursday, when the exhibit is free!
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