Sculpture Center Reaction

As we were standing next to the Sculpture Center, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The building looked relatively small, especially compared to our previous trip to MoMA. I expected the Center to be divided into a bunch of small rooms filled with art work. I was pleasantly surprised. The Sculpture Center was unlike any other museum I had seen. Sanford Biggers' exhibition Cosmic Voodoo Circus took up one room, one extremely spacious room with a very high ceiling. In my opinion, the way the exhibition had been set up was perfect. I believe that since there weren't too many of Biggers’ works we, the viewers, were given the chance to focus our undivided attention to each piece. We had the opportunity to take our time and absorb the meaning behind each of Sanford's masterpieces.

The first work I saw the second I walked in the Center was called "A Joia Do Orixa." It had been completed earlier this year. The size of the sculpture was enormous! In comparison to it the entire building seemed much, much smaller. The predominant color was red. Being as aggressive of a color as red is, it made the figure stand out even more. In my opinion, had there been numerous other pieces of art surrounding "A Joia Do Orixa", its effect wouldn't have been as intense. Standing tall, on its own, in a large room was, without a doubt, the perfect setting for this piece.

I then noticed the stars on the floor. They were made from broken mirrors and therefore had the ability to reflect light onto the walls. The name of the piece was "Constellation." This work also required a bigger amount of space. The size of the room made it seem as though the stars spread out on the ground were smaller than they actually were.

Last but definitely not least is Biggers’ piece of art “Cheshire.” It was named so for obvious reasons. When my eyes landed on the billboard sized work, I automatically thought of the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland (one of my favorite stories). I’m not sure what message the artist was trying to convey through “Cheshire” , but that grin was contagious! It made my day a bit brighter. As I mentioned before, this work was just as big as “A Joia Do Orixa” and therefore needed more space. The Sculpture Center provided that and more. Had “Cheshire” been put in an average sized room, it would’ve made it look as big as a matchbox.

Sanford Biggers

"A Joia Do Orixa"  2011

"Cheshire" 2011

"Constellation" 2011