Roberta Smith talks about a hanging piece of work at the Guggenheim in A Suspension of Willful Disbelief. The artist, Maurizio Cattelan used 128 pieces to create the work of art. Smith describes it as “a complicated” piece of art that hangs in a rotunda.
Roberta Smith believes that despite the initial awe of the work, it still doesn’t bring enough attention. She believes that the artist retiring is a good choice since he seems to be running out of innovative ideas. Smith also brings up Cattelan’s previous failures to produce art in time for an exhibit. She says that this piece protrudes too much at a time to the viewer. Despite all the negative comments, overall she felt that the piece of art was satisfactory.
I personally went to the Guggenheim museum before this exhibit. I would have enjoyed seeing it as it is a new way to display art. Also, the fact that it is suspended in mid air seems quite appealing to me. All these new and innovative types of art really catches my attention. One would expect art to be a painting on a wall. However, the 21st century has brought much more than that.
I definitely agree with you that the 21st century has changed the way art is created and portrayed. I think it is a very clever idea to present a work of art in a unique manner, such as suspending it in mid-air as Maurizio Cattelan did at the Guggenheim. I believe it takes the viewer on a different journey and opens the mind to think outside the box.