Exploring the ICA(Institute of Contemporary Art)

Joanna Nawn

Introduction

On  Friday  October  30,  2015  I  went  to  the  ICA  (Institute  of  Contemporary  Arts)  for  the  Airst  time.    The  building  itself  is  tall  and  made  up  of  glass  walls.    The  museum  is  free  for  all,  which  is  great  considering  how  expensive  gallery  and  museum  visits  can  cost.    The  three  artists  on  display  during  this  visit  were  Christopher  Knowles,  Josephine  Pryde  and  Becky  Suss.    Each  artist  was  very  different  from  the  next  in  motive  and  style.    Christopher  Knowles’  work  was  shown  in  The  Eleanor  Biddle  Lloyd  Gallery  and  the  exhibit  featured  was  called  In  a  World.    Becky  Suss’  work  was  shown  in  The  Eleanor  Biddle  Lloyd  Gallery.    Josephine  Pryde’s  work  was  shown  in  The  Edna  S.  Tuttleman  Gallery  with  the  exhibit  Lapses  in  Thinking  by  the  Person  I  Am.    The  museum  itself  was  very  small,  but  was  full  of  amazing  artists  that  had  very  clear  voices.    Each  artist  was  given  their  own  gallery  space  to  Aill,  with  Christopher  Knowles  having  the  largest  space  to  display  work.    Each  gallery  provided  each  artist’s  exhibit  with  a  pamphlet  describing  his  or  her  process  and  upcoming  programs  with  or  about  the  featured  artist.  

Christopher  Knowles  creates  many  type-­‐based  works  and  performance  pieces.    Later  during  the  exhibition’s  end  he  will  perform  is  performance  piece  The  Sundance  Kid  is  Beautiful  in  the  gallery.    Josephine  Pryde  was  focused  on  the  everyday  encounters  with  hands.    Pryde  tries  to  understand  the  nature  of  hands  and  how  they  interact  with  objects  we  encounter  everyday,  but  ignore  their  signiAicance.    Becky  Suss  observes  home  environments  while  making  commentary  on  social  classes  and  everyday  home  life.The  experience  I  had  at  the  ICA  was  amazing  and  I  plan  to  visit  again  soon!    The  works  I  have  provided  are  ones  that  I  identiAied  with  the  most  during  my  experience  at  the  gallery.

The  Sundance  Kid  is  BeautifulThis  piece  is  sure  to  grab  your  attention  as  you  walk  through  the  gallery.    It  consists  of  an  entire  corner  of  the  

gallery  with  sounds  and  lights  set  to  a  loop.    It  is  normally  a  performance  piece,  but  is  still  available  to  view  by  the  general  public.    

Kensington,  WinterImagine  a  beautiful  winter  scene  and  then  realize  the  area  that  is  depicted.    Kensington  is  never  seen  as  beautiful,  but  Becky  Suss  chooses  to  look  past  the  area  she  is  observing  and  depict  the  beauty  she  sees.    Kensington  is  no  

longer  the  feared  area  society  sees  it  as  when  viewing  this  painting.

Untitled  (Alert  Paintings)A  series  of  paintings  becoming  more  enlarged  as  you  view  the  progression  along  the  wall.    The  Alert  Paintings  serve  as  commentary  about  national  security  and  the  current  risks  in  our  country.    Christopher  Knowles  is  

articulate  in  his  text  based  works  and  providing  commentary.

Ride  among  the  pieces  created  by  Josephine  Pryde  and  experience  how  everyday  objects  come  into  contact  with  hands  on  a  daily  basis.    The  train  itself  is  modeled  after  the  Union  PaciAic  freight  train  and  gives  viewers  a  chance  to  really  look  closely  at  the  works  displayed  on  the  walls  calling  attention  

to  every  detail.

A  Red  Clock  for  Bob  Dole             Untitled           A  Blue  Clock  for  Bill  ClintonThese  three  individual  pieces  were  shown  together  on  a  wall  acting  as  a  countdown  for  each  political  party  both  republican  and  democratic.    The  centerpiece  acts  as  a  representation  of  the  winning  party  and  shows,  in  a  literal  

sense,  who  became  the  top  man  of  the  country.n  of  the  country

Untitled  (Fernand  Leger,  Water)Becky  Suss  creates  vibrant  art  from  the  world  surrounding  her.    She  observes  the  environments  of  her  relatives  and  painting  the  outcome.    This  piece  was  featured  as  its  own  piece,  but  was  also  featured  in  many  of  the  other  

works  on  the  wall  surrounding  it.