Not attending would be a mistake.
"Art of Two Germanys/Cold War Cultures" opened on January 25, 2009 and is the first major exhibition in the United States to capture the variety of art created during the Cold War years.
It is bold and politically charged, but the issues are easily understood by visitors that are not well-researched in German history.
I went to see the exhibit last Saturday when the museum was holding its "Late Night Art" show. It was an LA I've never seen before-- hundreds of art enthusiasts, images projected onto a white screen while unbearably loud music was spun live by two German DJs--I felt like I was in another world.
There were two great lines--one lead to the authentic German food and drink and the other to the main exhibit. After entering the building, we filed into an elevator the size of classroom and watched a slideshow on a flat screen TV which was part of the exhibit.
Overall "Art of Two Germanys" was a great import into Los Angeles and it taught the community about a part of world history through amazing illustrations and artifacts.
I am particularly interested in the identity issues inherent in a nation-split. How does one differentiate one's self from the other half? How does that effect the nationalism debate? How can the two sides effectively come together? These issues played out more or less well in Germany, but the issues remain with other nations of the old soviet bloc as well as the South Korea/North Korea dichotomy.
ReplyDeleteI think this show outlines a very important point about art. All too often private and public collectors, keep many important pieces of art hidden from the public for far too long. While I would would argue that art is a public good and the public has a right to see it, i think it is selfish and wrong for anyone to keep art work from the public eyes it was designed for. Through art we learn about other cultures and get new ideas. More of the "forgotten" artwork should be made public and brought out again to galleries throughout the world, so the world can gain the knowledge available within it, like you did with the German artwork.
ReplyDeleteI love the diverse art shows LA has to offer! But somehow I feel that they are more of a "scene" than seeing. I agree with Newborn Republican about showing the art for more peoples, why doesn't this exhibit travel. And why don't more people blog or report on this and similar events? I sure hope art too isn't a thing of the past. Exhibits and galleries are so great because it is active discussion with other people, creativity becomes boundless.
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