The most intriguing aspect of the exhibit was Kenny Scharf’s Cosmic Closet. When I first entered this space, this was a lot to take in the picture captures. There was a collage of toys and other various other objects of all kinds of colors and shapes. What I found to be an interesting effect on me was that this room was beyond messy, but there was pleasure in looking at this mess. It was almost like a game of finding hidden objects. Another interesting aspect of this piece was that there was one space where there was a mirror, and the viewer almost becomes apart of the piece. It’s clear that this piece is abstract but also diverse in nature. This accompanied with the use of neon colors and fluorescent lights successfully capture the feeling of being in a club or disco in the 1980s. In its diversity, there’s also a clash of classes, fashion, music, and even art compared to street art with the inclusion of graffiti. Through his art, Scharf brings together this idea of unity and community and this is extremely relevant to New York not just in the 1980s but today as well. This exhibit really compels the viewer to come in and pause. We’re compelled to take in the surroundings especially because there’s so much to look at, it’s impossible to look at it holistically. There was also this nostalgic aspect to it. Many of the objects were toys and it reminded me of the things I used to play with in my childhood, almost tempting me to play with the stuff, but of course, you can’t touch the art. Through this Scharf suggest that it’s ok to be a kid again. It was really interesting to see such an abstract piece with multiple parts to it have such multiple meanings to it.
Youre right there was so much to look at it i felt liek I couldnt take it all in. I hadn’t even thought of it as a game of hidden objects but it definitely was. In other posts, people were pointing out things that I didn’t even see in the room. It actually gave me a bit of a headache my eyes wanted to look everywhere at once and I felt like I couldn’t.