Thursday, December 06, 2007

MCA Art Rock and Roll

A couple of weekends ago, Melanie and I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art to see Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock and Roll Since 1967.




It was billed as an examination of “the dynamic relationship between rock music and contemporary visual art, a relationship that crosses continents, generations, and cultures.”



One of my favorite displays was a kind of combination family tree and timeline, charting influences of musicians from the late 1950s, including rhythm-and-blues and country artists.



Overall, this exhibition was an intense look at the sometimes gritty, often disturbing, always provocative works of art, album covers, music videos, and other materials. It certainly showed the impact of this work on our society as a whole.
As always, the MCA offered a unique experience, with a different kind of energy and sense of expression than other museums.

(Another display invited observers to interact with the art – by becoming the pearl in an oyster. Who could resist? Not me.)

1 comment:

melanie said...

It felt incredible to be surrounded by this type of history.

It was a sneak peak into the building of subcultures and refusal of the norm. Amazing how the people who didn't fit in the most--influenced the most people through their art and music.

I suggest walking through the installations bright-eyed, only to walk out feeling a little bit darker than before.

Also check out what people are calling "PDA at MCA."

(and yes, i encouraged mark to get into the oyster--then took those pictures...i know, i know...)