The Mori Museum is renowned for its large-scale shows of contemporary work and high quality retrospectives. The current exhibition “The Kaleidoscopic Eye” gathers together an array of pieces from artists examining how our perceptions contribute to the way we interpret both the world of art and the world at large. The show’s introduction claimed that it would “expose multiple layers or reality… through works which function as experimental sensory devices…” There are certainly many kinds of disorientating effects on show, ranging from the painfully bright light of Cerith Wyn Evans’s white neon columns in ‘Untitled’ (2008), to the equally sensory-challenging sounds emanating from the multiple screens in Carsten Nicolai’s piece ‘telefunken (wtc)’ (2000). But pain is not always bad.
Essentially rooted in a phenomenological approach, this show is incredibly varied – some pieces looked nice but needed wall plaque explanations full of empty and overused art speak to make deeper sense. Thus the pretty bulb walkway in Carsten Höller’s ‘Y’ (2003) “…suggests possibilities and potential for a new world.” My question would be – how exactly? By encouraging people to use eco-friendly light bulbs? One of the first things that came to mind while wandering through was the confusion in contemporary art over the role of phenomenon and perception versus “reading” of the work. Craft versus concept, senses versus mind – good art feeds both. When the art in question is itself causing us to ask “How do I see?”, not just “What do I see?” It is, potentially, a wonderful place to begin a dialogue about the nature of praxis.
Rachel Carvosso
Rachel Carvosso