During the long lockdown to avoid the coronavirus, I have deeply missed being able to go to museums to see exhibits of paintings, sculpture, and a variety of other types of art. Two outdoor artworks in Ann Arbor are accessible without risk, as very few people are on campus and those who are there are remarkably faithful about wearing masks!
Raoul Wallenberg Plaza
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Leonard Baskin (1922-2000), "Memorial."
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First is Leonard Baskin's sculpture titled "Memorial," located in Raoul Wallenberg Plaza, a Holocaust Memorial dedicated in 1994. The garden is situated in a very small corner of the University of Michigan campus at the site of the 19th century Jewish cemetery, now decommissioned. I always find a visit to this site very moving.
Installation on the University of Michigan Museum of Art
We also walked around the campus art museum to see a very new installation by Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama. He has wrapped the facade of the building in a huge fabric wall hanging titled “In-Between the World and Dreams.” The material for this installation is jute sacks, which were obtained in the markets of Ghana. With a team of workers there, Mahama designed and sewed the hangings, which were installed at the end of September.
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What the building normally looks like (source).
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Mahama's installation will be in place for just a few weeks, and then will be moved to a museum in Detroit. For more information, see "
Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama to blanket U-M Museum of Art with jute sacks."
Blog post and original images © 2020 mae sander for mae food dot blog spot dot com.
I often have a problem with contemporary art and this kind of installation. I often have the feeling tha the concept is like a gadget. Even if sometimes artistic gesture may be strong (I think of Gao-Bo for instance. And and sometimes friction with reality leads to strange associations.Qurlques réflexions qui me sont venues à ce sujet
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That fabric wall is quite special..I like it.
ReplyDeleteImpressive structures and sculpture.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by at Words and Pictures - I'm glad you liked the tag, but just wanted to say that they're not dried leaves... I made them! Hope you'll pop by again some time.
Thanks,
Alison
Jute, used to make burlap, and now art on a building, what an imagination he has, quite unique! And the first one seems very heartrending. Both interesting.
ReplyDeleteThere is an art installation in Palermo of sacks filled with sand, one bag for each person killed by the Mafia. The jute sack wrapping made me think of that. Hope you get to see more at soon.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many thousands of sacks he needed for this installation. It is certainly unique and quite abstract. So glad you shared this very unique piece with us since it won't be there very long.
ReplyDeleteInteresting art and the blue sky against the red sculpture is wonderful, also in contrast to the dark sacks.
ReplyDeleteStriking art installations! I enjoy temporary exhibits.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice (and impressive) tour. I know what you mean about empty campus. I cut through campus today hoping to see red and orange trees (I didn't -- they're slow). I saw two people. And very few parked cars. It felt pretty weird -- usually right now it would be a madhouse. Nope. (And that's a good thing.)
ReplyDeleteThe statue is beautiful and the jute sack building is quite different, and what a huge job that must have been!
ReplyDeleteThanks for participating Mae