“I can never come up with anything that doesn’t have the potential to be considered art work. As long as you have consensus and social agreement, it’s an art work.” Those were the words of Visual Arts Professor Robert Gero at the Brought into Being exhibition that he curated. After giving a lengthy presentation to give the audience some background on what they would be seeing and on art in general, Gero then showed off some of the works. Many students in attendance were baffled at some of the things that were considered art. “Art has nothing to do with how something looks,” Gero stressed.
A professor and a student were even sitting right next to one of the sculptures by Cuban born artist, Jorge Pardo and not even knowing it. This display lightened the dull mood as a few chuckles were heard coming from the small crowd as Gero pointed out that the student and professor were “sitting on one of the artworks.”
There were a bevy of works shown that belonged to a variety of artists such as Marcel Duchamp, John Bock, Daniel Bozhkov, My Barbarian, Claire Fontaine, Mary Ellen Carroll, Marie Karlberg, Michael Smith Rirkrit Tiravanija and Allora & Calzadilla. Gero enthusiastically presented the pieces to students, many of whom had no art background, and some in the audience didn’t seem too moved by what they were seeing, a few seemed intrigued, partially because of the informed presentation that Gero gave.
The video displays were the most interesting, which included German artist John Bock’s video display along with a piece by an artists named My Barbarian which showed actors in masks reenacting the Greek myth of Cassandra.
When asked how he got started with art, Gero stated, “I was always making art as a kid secretly, so I always liked making stuff. My parents never understood and I was always making hidden work. After I finished my MFA, I decided to get my masters in philosophy and decided to formalize it and after I came out of that dark cave this is what happened.”
The exhibition showed that what might not look like art to casual onlookers might be considered a masterpiece to others. One example is a band aid stuck across a crack in the wall-a work by the French surrealist Marcel Duchamp.
The exhibition requires one to step back from traditional forms of art and make an effort to appreciate visual art in a new and different context.