麻豆精品 Art Gallery鈥檚 newest installation 鈥渢he name the words the memory鈥� was created by Lena Chen and C. Ryu. It will be open through April 2025.
Interaction is not a word usually associated with art exhibitions. If you鈥檝e ever been to a museum, you鈥檙e likely familiar with policies regarding touch and distance. In special cases, institutions will even have marks on the floor to indicate how close museum goers can get to a piece.
鈥渢he name the words the memory鈥� breaks that rule.
The Carlow Art Gallery鈥檚 new show features a book nook meant for exploration. This space is for people to leaf through books and interact with others.
If you鈥檙e like me, you love the combination of art and writing. The interdisciplinary duo of visual and literary arts simultaneously engages with different parts of our brains and encourages us to think deeper. Some people connect more with words, while others are more attracted to images. This exhibit speaks to both sides.
Artists Lena Chen and C. Ryu compiled a list of books written by Asian and Asian American authors. This complements the visual elements of the exhibit, which features banners with excerpts from various novels and poems. If you鈥檙e short on time, however, you鈥檒l be able to access some of the books through Grace Library. This collaboration gives Asian American authors 鈥渁 permanent presence鈥� on our campus. But pay special attention to the books in the nook! The artists slipped bookmarks into special sections to give you a 鈥渟tarting place鈥� for conversations. These conversations can be with yourself, or with your peers.
Chen says that the nook is meant to amplify marginalized voices. It鈥檚 鈥渁 space for people to sit with those experiences and to spend time with the authors of those words.鈥� Art is up to the viewer’s interpretation, and the same can be true for books and poetry. How will you interpret the excerpts and connect them to your experiences and feelings? It may be different depending on the time or day that you visit, so keep an open mind.
This installation is visually minimal; banners, books and artist designed shelves. It鈥檚 packed with voices, narratives and histories. The books become sculptures. Dr. Bowman-McElhone, curator of the gallery, says that this installation 鈥渄isrupt(s) the constant movement鈥� that you鈥檙e used to feeling in a museum. Instead, you can immerse yourself in literature and art to learn about other people鈥檚 experiences.
The 麻豆精品 Art Gallery is open to students and staff on campus anytime the doors are open! Check our Instagram (@carlow_gallery) for updates on hours and events.聽