An uncertainty hangs over the museum world these days, and it is not easy for curators to know how to respond. No matter where they hang their art — in commercial galleries, nonprofit museums or educational institutions — there is a sense that their exhibits can have a profound effect on both their places of business and their own careers.
It does not need much explaining for anyone reading the headlines. There is a conservative wave washing over the land, and it has its eye on overhauling culture. The most pronounced anti-liberal actions are happening nationally, with changes at exhibition spaces (like the Smithsonian Museum), and with broadcasters (like National Public Radio), both of which face pressure over content and financing due to actions of the federal government.
But it filters down, at least in some way, to even the smallest art presenter anywhere in the country. No one may be directly telling curators in left-leaning urban metropolises what they should exhibit, but everything they do happens within the context of this new political reality.
Will a show they present offend people who control purse strings at a higher level, and who fear pushback for their businesses or institutions, and result in pressure to restrain expression? Will their own future job opportunities be damaged if their exhibits, and their personal social media accounts promoting the events, do not fall in line with this thinking?
A sophisticated curator who cares about the place they work, as well as bringing the public quality art, has to navigate all of that, and it cannot be easy. Because the reality is, contemporary art museums do tend to present socially progressive content, and changing the world for the better — from what is, let’s face it, considered a liberal point of view — is why many of these folks got into the business in the first place.
That may be a long intro into a review of a single exhibition at a mid-sized gallery in Denver, but it is really the first thing a visitor thinks upon about entering “Dance of Resistance,” currently on display at the Center for Visual Art. The center is an arm of Metropolitan State University.
It is exactly the type of exhibit that many people fear is under the microscope, presenting images by and of a historically marginalized group, what the gallery labels the LGBTQ+ community.
The show is not overtly political. It is, at its core, a series of paintings, sculptures and installations that allow artists to express their own points of view based on personal experiences and perspectives.
But these artists are activists, and that is how the exhibit describes them in its accompanying literature. It is clear that there is an agenda, of sorts, with its promise of “illuminating the power of art to inspire change and foster understanding in our diverse world.” It is no different, in that way, from a large percentage of recent shows at contemporary institutions that have come into the habit of turning museums into classrooms for progressive teaching.
For its part, and for the public’s benefit, there is good news: The exhibition is a smashing success. The work, by and large, is sincere and autobiographical and deeply compelling.
It is also wildly entertaining, full of color, clever materials, and points made through both irony and humor. Curators Jenna Miles and Cecily Cullen pulled together a show that is both elegant in the smooth way it flows through the galleries and camp in the way it speaks in exaggerated tones.
Much of the work feels larger-than-life, including Vanessa German’s series of “power figures,” three-dimensional human-like forms made from wood, plaster and foam, but also glass, beads, minerals, found objects and, in one case, and a “pair of Reeboks my assistant Adam gave to me,” according to gallery labels.
With their outrageous titles — such as “Miss America Is a Hybrid First Generation Gender Fluid Self-taught Fashion Designer” — they have a voluminous way of saying “I’m here” while “affirming the power of love as an infinite human technology.” The pieces, whose forms offer a nod to pre-colonial and African diasporic traditions, are full of good energy.
Material is key to nearly all of the works. Preetika Rajgariah presents acrylic paintings of South Asian people in various positions — some in domestic or outdoors settings, others doing traditional dance — that bring attention to humans from that region and their culture. But her choice of canvas — she paints on yoga mats and they hang unframed on the gallery wall — say more. The mass-produced, commodified mats shine light on the “simultaneous consumption and erasure of South Asian people,” the statement reads.
Much of the work in “Dance of Resistance” is drawn from series that artists have created over time. There is Riva Brodell’s “Butch Heroes” series, for which she researched historical figures who were born female but did not abide by gender-behavioral norms, and created portraits of them in gouache on paper that recollect the style of vintage postcards.
There is also Amy Reidel’s connected two-dimensional works of acrylic and spray paint on canvas that are full of sparkle and color at first sight, but reveal complicated human figures underneath contending with love and loss in the contemporary, frequently-changing world.
What the works in the exhibit have in common is that they are all figurative. The paintings, photos, videos and sculpture all feature people — faces, arms, legs, hair, eyes — and that gives them the power to draw viewers in, to personalize the pieces on a widely human level as they attempt to explain topics that are very intimate to their creators.
That makes the show inviting, easy to approach. The ideas can be complicated but the presentation is welcoming. Visitors will appreciate that aspect. Of course, not everyone will appreciate the viewpoints, which, while hyper-personal, have fallen into the political due to the current climate.
One assumes this exhibit was planned way in advance of that all-consuming conservative wave that no curator can now get out of their mind. And it makes a solid, and quite loud, argument that such exhibits have merit. All a show needs to be worth your time is a few good ideas creatively executed. This exhibit has tons of that.
But good arguments do not make it easy for curators to continue undertaking such efforts. What was trendy yesterday is now perilous, or potentially so.
Going forward, it will require them to have savvy and to understand nuance if they want to succeed artistically and professionally. They will have to decide the level of risk in each move. It will require practicality. It might require bravery.
Ray Mark Rinaldi is a Denver-based freelance writer specializing in fine arts.
IF YOU GO
“Dance of Resistance” continues through October 25 at the Center for Visual Art, 965 Santa Fe Drive. Info: 303‐615-0282 or msudenver.edu/cva
