MOCA: Dan Graham

The Dan Graham show at MOCA really blew me away. Unlike most museums where I usually get bored by the second room, this exhibit kept my mind wanting explanations or logistics behind the pieces. His use of mirrors throughout his Beyond exhibit was like none that I have ever seen before. His manipulations of the spectators’ reflections created a “circus” effect or “house of mirrors” effect. The piece that confused me the most was Opposing Mirrors and Video Monitors On Time Delay. This installation consisted of two mirrors on opposite walls, two television sets on pedestals and two cameras ontop of the mirrors with the TVs and cameras facing the mirrors. The result of this set up produced a showing of the spectators on the mirrors and television screens that was delayed. For example if you walked across the room, the mirror would reflect that immediate action but the tv screen on the mirror would be delayed and show you doing that action 5 seconds later. Me and Rachel kept walking back and forth trying to figure out exactly how this worked, but ended up being more confused the longer we stared at the installation. In most of Graham’s mirror works, the spectator is placed in a position where they question their viewing point. There was a triangle room made of mirrors that made me feel like I was in a large space than I actually was. The mirrors also make you pay attention to how your own self reacts to the pieces because you can see yourself.
After I left the show, I began to reflect on minimalist and conceptual artwork. In FA150, we learned about the intention of minimalism and how minimalist works emphasize the relationship between the viewer and space. Also, the meaning of the work is only completed when the viewer is present, unlike modernist paintings where the meaning is predetermined by the artist. Each new spectator brings a new meaning to work when they observe it.