Monday, May 5, 2008

Hirshhorn: Art Quickie

Busy weekend! I have a few neat posts in the works, but for now, take my advice and stop by the Hirshhorn. We visited yesterday and I realized that I'd nearly forgotten that its an oasis on the Mall. The one the tourists seem to pass up and the locals like myself seem to visit not quite often enough. I get spoiled, lunching at the National Gallery of Art so often. A hard-knock life life, I know... If you have a few minutes for lunch or just find yourself downtown take a few minutes and check out downstairs at Hirshhorn.

Black Box is usually my favorite, featuring a short film which loops repeatedly throughout the day. Either visitors walk away satisfied because they think they "get it," or completely bewildered. Often, I think I'm the only one who sits through the entire film, as was the case yesterday (I think the film was just over 10min). Its art people, take it as it is... The current film is A Laundry Woman, Yamuna River, Delhi by the Korean artist Kimsooja. No point trying to explain it. Also downstairs is a collection of some of the recently acquired pieces of the museum, titled Currents. The curators did a great job of showing the various types of artwork which the museum collects, even if much of it may never see additional exhibition time. That's where shows like this come in handy. There's no real theme or rhyme or reason, just interesting pieces used to show off the collection. Anyway, if you just want a quickie of new art and don't have time to lounge (or are on lunch), hit downstairs at the Hirshhorn. A diversion well worth your time.