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Thursday, March 25, 2010

Visual Art Currently Hanging: 'Champagne Truffles'

Posted by Jen Graves on Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 10:48 AM

The sixth and final installment of the artist-powered project The Gift Shop turns the museum's defunct gift shop into something like the deranged yet contented interior of an eccentric old lady's sitting room.

Handpainted and collaged wallpaper has been painstakingly applied over tall, empty retail and book shelves. The paper is torn in places, to reveal arrangements of knickknacks inside the walls.

Something is glowing inside the walls.

A live web cam feeds into the room a giant image of cats playing. Five artists working together created the installation: Jennifer Campbell, Nicholas Nyland, Saya Moriyasu, Maki Tamura, and Ian Toms. You can see each of their influences, but the final work is something new altogether.

Of all the Gift Shop iterations, this one hangs together best as an installation (this one was another highlight). (It reminds me of Robert Gober's savagely impolite installation of a room wallpapered with a pattern that looks pretty from a distance—but the pattern, seen up close, is alternating drawings of a black man being lynched and a white man sleeping soundly).

What's inside the walls at the Henry could be considered one entire show, the wallpaper another show, and a display shelf in the entryway window yet another. But there's also an overall mood that unhinges the room from any of its pasts. This is the way I'll remember this room.

Next up at the Henry's gift shop? The space will become part of an expanded lobby, and the front wall of the gift shop will be demolished. That should happen this spring. No word yet on whether the museum will get a proper gift shop/bookstore anytime soon. (Please?)

The reception for the show is Saturday (March 27) from 2-4 pm. Details.