I learned about an ongoing exhibit called Flatlands at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) . The exhibit actually looks into the idea of globalization and decolonization through the eyes of the artists based around the world.
I found it so interesting so I was led by my feet one Sunday afternoon to visit MCAD to check on the exhibition.
The museum was about to close in an hour so I entered the premises right away and was surprised to be greeted by various photographs of architectural sites from Africa, shot the artist named James Beckett. Apparently, I begun to notice monochromatic blocks of wood carved into unconventional shapes. Right next to these were the same blocks however sheathed in glass but classified according to shape, size and colors.
Next thing I noticed was the Sea Side Project created by Eugenio Tibaldi, an Italian artist. It was a broad panoramic image of the remnants of Licola in Naples, Italy.
There was also a 3D representation of the photos named Licola Pop-Up where the illustrations were literally popped up, created and painted in cardboard showing how history has taken place within the town.
Also on the exhibit were Backgrounds by Hrair Sarkissian. They were inkjet prints of shelves with stacks of books and lots of columns taken from different cities in the Middle East.
I took a few steps on the second floor to watch videos by Amy Siegel. The videos were projected on back to back wall. The first video was Provenance, a 40-minute montage examining the styles and process of Chandigarh furniture. On the other side of the wall was a video called Lot 248 and it was a footage where Siegel has Provenance and the furnitures auctioned at a Christie’s Auction house. It clearly showed how monetary and cultural value moves in the global marketplace.
The artists in the exhibition essayed hidden stories of environment in various cities which unfortunately were forgotten.
Flatlands looks upon the attempt of group action through readings of our constructed environment from that of African cities, India’s Chandigarh, to the Neapolitan beaches of the town of Licola.
