Installation view of “ Daniel Arsham : Wherever You Go , There You Are ” at OCMA |
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exhibitions fall into at least one of three categories . “ One is this idea of looking back to look forward ,” she says . “ And so , I think it ’ s really important to acknowledge where we ’ ve been as a culture , as an institution , but also as people , and where are we now ? And then , where do we hope to go ?
“… The second is this notion of space and place and really acknowledging that Orange County is a specific place ,” she says . “… It ’ s about the weather , it ’ s about the quality of light , it ’ s about the ease and grace of the people who live here . And I think Orange County is a really innovative place … where people basically built something out of nothing . … So I think it ’ s really right for contemporary art — the art of our time . Because that ’ s basically what artists do is create something out of nothing .”
And the third category is the concept of sharing and caring . “ Empathy is really important for me and something we started exploring in Aspen , whether we could kind of create this center for empathy at the museum , and using works of art as a way of getting people to think about things or people that they might not otherwise have any connection to — in a nondidactic way , just creating the possibility for those conversations ,” she says .
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LOOKING BACK , LOOKING FORWARD The museum opened with exhibits that drew from the past while also examining the influence of these artists , works and ideas on the present day and possibly the future .
The first one , “ 13 Women ,” Zuckerman curated as a nod to the visionary women who founded the museum , then called Balboa Pavilion Gallery . It ’ s not about those 13 women , but it ’ s about the idea of the power and influence that women can have when they come together , she explains . The diverse works , ranging from older pieces in the collection to new ones created for this exhibit , will rotate to showcase up to 100 mostly female artists — some living , some deceased — through Aug . 20 , 2023 .
Currently on display through June 4 is a solo exhibition , “ Daniel Arsham : Wherever You Go , There You Are ,” the artist ’ s first major museum show in the country . Arsham takes the idea of archaeology to new heights , crafting eroded casts of human figures and everyday items — out of sand , pyrite , volcanic ash and other geological materials — to serve as remnants of the present as they might be seen by future researchers . Objects range from a telephone to a camera and even a replica of the DeLorean car used for time travel in the 1980s movie “ Back to the Future .”
Up on the rooftop terrace , a 24-foot-wide ,
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16-foot-tall sculpture by Sanford Biggers will command the attention of visitors through Aug . 13 . “ I curated his first one-person museum exhibition 20 years ago and so it ’ s also about celebrating curatorial history ,” Zuckerman says . Commissioned for the space , the sculpture titled Of many waters … brings together a European-style reclining male figure and a 19th-century Baule double-face mask , incorporating references to antiquity and non-Western cultures , including the sacred geometry of Buddhism . The piece combines Biggers ’ ongoing “ Chimera ” and “ Shimmer ” series into a new form that the artist considers “ objects for a future ethnography ,” encouraging historical objects to be not only studied , but continuously reconsidered .
Zuckerman explains that the front of the sculpture is covered in black-and-silver metal sequins , which will reflect light and make a sound as they move in the wind . The back of the artwork has a built-in bench , she says , “ so you can sit there and listen and look and think .”
A WELCOMING PLACE Along the eastern side of the building , where the school buses will pull up for field trips , a “ window gallery ” provides a glimpse through floor-to-ceiling glass at the art inside including a vibrant mural .
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YUBO DONG / OFSTUDIO |