Art is not an international language

Over the past two days I have begun to realize the immense importance of exhibition/artwork information and context.

Art is sometimes described as being a kind of 'international language' Regardless of what language you speak, apparently you are still able to some what understand a work as it is not "language specific". I have decided this is defiantly not the case.

On Wednesday we decided to go to 'The Gallium Treasure of Obertraun' presented by Peter Bauhuis at the Archaeological Museum. The pieces displayed were interesting, similarly shaped forms were constant throughout the exhibition, varying in scale. As interesting as it was I will admit I had no idea what the works were about, when they were made, and what the exhibition aimed to represent. I'm sure all of this information was displayed in the exhibition however I don't speak german so I missed out. I left with a feeling of mystery and confusion. What had I just seen and what did it all mean? So much for the 'international language'

This experience helped me to truly appreciate the importance of exhibition information. I had never realized how vital it was to my understanding of the work being displayed.

Tonight we Attended the opening of 'Under That Cloud' and Ruudt Peters 'Anima'. I found 'Under That Cloud' particularly interesting because again I realized how important the information about the collection and the context was to understanding the exhibition. I had formed an understanding of the work presented to me but that interpretation changed drastically when I read the exhibition catalogue back at the hostel and realized the work was created by 18 artists who got stranded in Mexico City when the Icelandic Volcano erupted last year, canceling their flights home. Immediately my interest and understanding of the collection shifted.

I'm finding the ideas of context and information fascinating and will be looking out for them and looking a them in a more in depth way as the semester continues.

Hannah