"The boundaries of vision have never been more fluid. We are now able to see in ways that we never have before, from the cellular to the cosmological, from the digital to the virtual."
Nicholas Baume, Chief Curator of the new Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, introduced both the museum and its feature exhibit, Super Vision, with these words. Super Vision, which runs until April 29, is comprised of a collection of various contemporary pieces that bring into question how vision is constructed. The exhibit illustrates how changing technology influences the way we view ourselves and our world.
Super Vision is a fitting show to christen the relocated Institute of Contemporary Art, which opened on the Boston waterfront on Dec. 10. The new building was designed by the Diller Scofidio + Renfro architecture firm to interact with its surroundings. The architects, who are known for their focus on aesthetic space, conceived of a building that would provide enhanced viewing experiences within the exhibits and beyond. The galleries feature scenic views of the waterfront, blurring the line between artwork and the outside world. Super Vision itself opens up to a glass-paneled view of Boston Harbor stretching out in every direction.
Super Vision, like the museum itself, guides a visitor's experience through a deliberate lens. At first glance, the exhibit is a bit overwhelming. It seems to be what, in a sense, it actually is: a hodgepodge of contemporary art done in a variety of media by 27 artists from all over the world. Initially, it is hard to find any similarity between a glowing red rectangle, a video installation of films from the U.S.-Mexico border and a picture of Earth taken from space. Only with the aid of museum plaques can one discern a cohesive theme.
The collection is further divided into subsections. The first room literally questions perception through works that employ what the museum label refers to as "visual trickery, masterful craftsmanship and aesthetic creativity." As you enter, Anish Kapoor's bright metal sculpture reflects the whole room inside its orb. Noriko Furunishi's "Untitled (Grey Dry Stream)" (2005) uses technology to blend large-format photos of Death Valley with scenes of greenery. James Turrell's "New Light" (1989), a glowing red rectangular installation within a dark room, triggers perception disorientation and seems to waver between the second and third dimensions.
The second room is focused on "Disembodied Vision" and highlights how technology allows us to see places we would not see otherwise. Mona Hatoum's "Corps Etranger (Foreign Body)" (1994), which charts the trip of an endoscopic camera through the artist's body, invites the viewer into a narrow tube, much like the corporeal ones traveled by the camera. Tony Oursler's floating eyeballs hover in a corner, literally representing the disembodied eye. The projector that casts his images onto fiberglass is stationed visibly before one "eyeball." It becomes a part of the piece and a commentary on technology as an artistic tool.
The room entitled "Global Positioning" compares and contrasts introspection with images of deep space. "Apollo 8 Earthrise," the first vision of earth from the moon, is contrasted with Yoko Ono's "Sky TV" (1966), which broadcasts a vision of the airspace above Boston Harbor onto a screen within the museum.
The last room, "Pleasure vs. Threat," claims to focus on the ambiguity of vision, which is perhaps why the relationships between the works seem vague. Thomas Ruff takes a political stance by blowing up a JPEG of the bunkers in Iraq to demonstrate the pixilated haziness of the image. Albert Oehlen portrays ambiguity more traditionally, painting a web cam amidst an airy background.
Overall, the exhibit is rich in content but a bit strained. The theme is ambitious and the work is interesting and diverse, but at some points the diversity becomes the problem. Without a careful perusal of the museum captions, the viewer could easily walk out of the exhibit and miss many of the intended connections between the pieces.
The strength of the written components is impressive, and the structure of the exhibit intriguing, but the museum is too concerned with the waterfront view just outside. It is ironic that Super Vision comments on technology's pervasive construction of our vision when the exhibit constructs another for us. This being said, the view presented is intelligent, insightful and well-worth a visit.
Even those who go to the exhibit and decide that contemporary art really isn't their thing can always head to the exit and enjoy the waterfront panorama. The ICA staff may be just as proud.
