Installation at SF MOMA

We went up to see the Jasper Johns show, which was very interesting to me, involving so many ideas we have been exploring in my mixed media class (repetition, mark making, layering), but photography was not allowed in that gallery.

This installation, by contemporary Chinese artist Gu Wenda, extends up through three floors of the lobby. The piece, called United Nations--Babel of the Millennium, is composed of human hair that was gathered by the artist from across the globe and woven into panels with rope and glue. Each panel is covered with inscriptions that seem to resemble written Chinese, Hindi, Arabic or English, yet are in fact composed of meaningless symbols.

Originally intended as a comment on propaganda's subtle erosion of language, the work also reflects the porous nature of communication in an interconnected modern world. While the potential for dialogue and exchange can facilitate monumental achievements, it can just as easily lead us to end up talking past each other, creating a cacophony of cultures and languages and misunderstandings.

It is quite something to look at this piece, realizing what it is made of, and appreciating the scale of the whole thing. I was very taken with it before I read all of the above commentary, the slight shimmer of the translucent panels is mesmerizing, and puzzling over the symbols is a journey unto itself.