Friday, January 6, 2023

Monochrome Multitudes at the Smart Museum

As I've mentioned on here before, when I was in college, I worked as a guard at the Smart Museum. It was a very influential experience in my development as an abstract artist. So when I found out about the Monochrome Multitudes show, I knew that I had to go and see it. As an artist who enjoys creating monochromatic pieces and as a designer who likes the challenge of creating spaces with monochromatic and analogous color schemes, I appreciate the visual simplicity of the work included in the show. Here are some of my favorites:


Triptych by Claire Zeisler
Triptych by Claire Zeisler



Wonderland: Black Square by Ma Quisha

Wonderland: Black Square by Ma Quisha
Wonderland: Black Square by Ma Quisha



Black Artist by Samuel Levi Jones
Black Artist by Samuel Levi Jones



Cinnamon Sheets series by Haegue Yang
Cinnamon Sheets series by Haegue Yang


The pieces above were made with unconventional materials: Ma Quisha used hosiery, Samuel Levi Jones used footballs, and Haegue Yang used sheets of handmade paper pigmented with cinnamon from Sri Lanka and Indonesia.


Rojo Tres by Carmen Herrera
Rojo Tres by Carmen Herrera



Spatial Concept, Expectations by Lucio Fontana
Spatial Concept, Expectations by Lucio Fontana



Proof of Siren(s) by Irena Haiduk
Proof of Siren(s) by Irena Haiduk



Untitled by Alexander Calder
Untitled by Alexander Calder



A Pattern or Practice by Bethany Collins
A Pattern or Practice by Bethany Collins


I regret not taking a close-up detail photo of A Pattern or Practice so I could show that each sheet of paper is embossed with the text from the Department of Justice's report on the Ferguson, Missouri police department after the killing of Michael Brown.


17-1963 (Mango) by William Turnbull
17-1963 (Mango) by William Turnbull

A random fact about Mango: it used to hang in the lobby when I was a guard. It was nice to see it again.

Another thing that I appreciate about Monochrome Multitudes is that the wall text descriptions of the work were contributed by members of the University of Chicago community, both staff and students. It was fascinating to read what those both inside and outside of the art department had to say about the work.

Monochrome Multitudes is on view until Sunday, January 8th, so see it if you can. Admission is free.



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