Emotional Whiplash at AGNSW
On the 3rd March, I went to the Art Gallery of NSW on a whim in search for some sort of inspiration or clarity.
Why does anyone go to a gallery, I guess? What I did find is I think I maybe have nothing to contribute to the art space apart from being a regular admirer and an easy sceptic. It was a hard pill to swallow.
These are my thoughts from that turbulent hour and a half.
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next room
next room
This was going to be hard to bounce back from. It was 4pm. I went to sit in the cafe and reflect (resulting in the above journal entry) but it was too late - I was in a mood. The sound of children yelling and the smell of food was making me feel slightly nauseous. Some important looking people dressed in all black unlocked a secret door next to me and I felt a pang of jealousy for the gallery insiders. But why? I had felt little true inspiration the whole time - just cold, with a vague paranoia that all the security guards were suspicious of me and my big fat notebook (which is ridiculous because there’s 100 other girls in glasses and Sony headphones like me wandering around with their art diary).
I wrote down the above experience and packed my things. But then, on my way through the foyer, I saw it:
I left this exhibition feeling lighter. I don’t usually feel drawn to works like this (rocks etc.). But I felt his practice alive in the space. A sound cylinder dispersed gentle birdsong throughout the space. It was just me and a friendly security guard alone in the exhibition. I watched him wander through, considering the works too and that made me smile. This wasn’t a transformative experience. But it made me remember that sometimes art affects you because it came to you at the right time. I get caught up in the political presence of art that I forget there’s meaning and purpose in art that is meditative, minimalist and draws peaceful contemplation. I guess this is me thanking Lee Ufan (I’m sure he’ll read this).
I think this entire page has been a long winded way of concluding that I have nothing but my own sentimentality to contribute to the design of art exhibitions, so maybe this isn’t the right path for me for my Honours year.
Thanks for reading
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