Contemporary Art

Sui Jianguo is considered one of China’s most important contemporary sculptors.  His work is often seen as a symbol of China’s transition from communism to capitalism.  While playful, Sui’s oversized red dinosaur also evokes the dragon symbol of imperialist China the country’s current aggressive business practices.  The phrase “Made in China” embossed on the dinosaur’s stomach references China’s emergence as a contemporary economic juggernaut. 

“The reason I enlarge the toys to such an enormous size is to highlight the political economic system behind them.  Dinosaur toys are designed by a company in a western country, produced in China and then commercially distributed around the globe.”  - Sui Jianguo

Weiner was an early pioneer in conceptual art. In 1968, the nature of his work changed radically after he built an outdoor sculpture of string criss-crossing the front lawn at Windham Collage in Vermont. Over its installation, the students gradually cut all of the strings in order to cross the lawn freely. Weiner realised that his viewers could have had the same experience by simply reading a verbal description of his idea for the piece. Challenging traditional assumptions about the nature of the art object, Weiner’s work has focused on the forms of display and distribution. Since the 1970s, he has concentrated on wall installations of epigrammatic statements. Most of these pieces (ours included) are done by a proxy according to the precise instructions as to size and colour dictated by the artist. Weiner’s work is centered on the potential for language to serve as an art form.

On the first floor of the Katz Wing, you will see a mixture of much loved works like Louise Nevelson’s Royal Tide V regally positioned among some of our best mid-century modern sculptures and new works like Fred Wilson’s Dark Dawn on loan to us from the GUC Collection.

Beginning with his groundbreaking 1992 exhibition Mining the Museum at the Maryland Historical Society, much of Wilson’s work consisted of juxtaposed and re-contextualized existing objects to create new installations, which alter their traditional meanings or interpretations. Starting in 2003 and his exhibition at the United States Pavilion for the 2003 Venice Biennale, Wilson began fabricating objects again and was especially interested in blown glass – the medium of the piece currently on view shows at the Museum.

On the second floor of the Katz Wing, you will find the stunning yet austere Peter Wegner installation, Guillotine of Sunlight, Guillotine of Shade. The piece is destined to become a Museum favourite and was given to us by two anonymous donors in honor of the Museum’s 50th Anniversary.

It consists of 1.4 million pieces of recycled coloured paper and is installed on the two sides of the same wall. It was installed just before Thanksgiving 2009 under the direction of Pete Nelson from SFMOMA, Adan Mendoza from Griffin gallery in Los Angeles and the enthusiastic help of 40 wonderful local volunteers. Our thanks go to those individuals, our generous benefactors and all of you - together we make the future of this Museum happen!

Following ArtPick 2008, Contemporary Forum has given the Museum a dazzling piece by the Los Angeles artist Jennifer Steinkamp. Steinkamp has been an important pioneer in digital animation since early 1990s. Psychologically complex and hauntingly beauty, her installations are dynamic investigations of perception and architecture. Our piece, Mike Kelley, is one in a series of thirteen unique digital pieces that each depicts an individual tree in motion and over time. It is named for her mentor and fellow contemporary artist, Mike Kelley – a work of his called No Place (1989) is currently hung in the Museum's Katz Wing.

Steinkamp's work is profoundly experiential. Depending on your mood, it can be lusciously beautiful, obsessively hypnotic or even disquieting in its repetition. Don't miss it on the top floor of the Katz Wing.

One of the latest additions to the collection is a monumental commission by the internationally renowned 'sculptor of light', James Turrell. The piece is permanently installed in the Great Hall and has been in planning and construction for a number of years. It is the largest and most spectacular version of his Tall Glass series and consists of a large, rectangular field of slowly shifting color that is a painting in light.

Since the 1960s, Turrell’s work has explored the interaction of light and space. Drawing on his knowledge of mathematics, perceptual psychology and optics, he has created art installations that extend and enhance visual perception and awareness. The idea is to allow the viewers to perceive themselves in the act of perceiving. As the artist explained: “I want to create an atmosphere that can be consciously plumbed with seeing, like the wordless thought that comes from looking in a fire.”