Tate Modern

1. Critique the logo

There are variations of the Tate Modern logo presented with a range of blurred effects. In your opinion what benefit or distraction is executed with variations of the logo? Do slight variations connect to the range of contemporary art more than a static/single logo?

Modern art is defined by a conscious break from old art ideologies, focusing on the emotional undercurrents that live within the bleak, scattered images of our everyday world.  Thus, it is proof in itself that art can be found anywhere, in a million different forms.  In this way the slight variations within the logo become its great benefit.  It connects to the work because it represents the ability of art to morph into a million different forms, and yet, under these myriad possibilities, there is always the same message (Tate).

2. Free Admission

Every museum that you have visited has free admission. In Chicago, admission to the Field Museum (Museum for biological and anthropological collections) is $29 Adult and $20 child. Are museums only for the rich in the United States? How do free museum admissions impact the London culture?

Although I would hesitate to say that museums in the United States are only for the “rich”, I would agree that these price differences set art in our country to a different standard.  By paying nearly thirty dollars to see a collection of art, you are unconcsciously agreeing that that collection is something extraordinary.  It becomes something that is both restricted to and external from society, something that is elite.  However, here in Britain, the museums are free.  Although I do not necessarily believe that this completely breaks the elitist vision of art as held in the United States, it definitely makes art more accessible.  Rather than being locked away, it seems to be melded in with the culture in general, allowing the public to grow and contemplate whenever they desire.  Here the art is the internal heartbeat of London, not an external gem one has to pay to see.

3. The Unilever Series: Al Weiwei

The Unilever Series is comprised of millions of individual porcelain objects. The curator states the following, “Each piece is a part of the whole, a commentary on the relationship between the individual and the masses.” Do you agree or do you believe the installation falls short of answering pointed questions such as: What does it mean to be an individual in today's society? Are we insignificant or powerless unless we act together? Feel free to express your opinion on the ongoing discussion of installation art.

I think that this series definitely falls short of answering either of those questions.  Although I understood that the mass of sunflower seeds were indeed a simulation of the masses, I don’t necessarily think the artist made a commentary on the relationship between those masses and the individual.  What is this artist trying to say?  That the individual is helpless among the sea of thousands?  Perhaps, though this wasn’t the original message that struck me.  I think a sea of seeds is simply too neutral a gesture to really inspire much contemplation.

4. Display

The gallery walls remain white throughout the Tate Modern exhibition spaces. Does the color white enable a neutral field for contemplation of the contemporary and modern art? Would you prefer a break in color – an introduction of additional hues to alter the experience, or do the corridors and spaces in between art displays enable visual pulses?

I believe much of the beauty from modern art lies in its relative simplicity and, at times, neutrality.  Thus, it would not be good to have a color scheme that enables the walls to distract form the work itself.  The color white enables the art to break from the neutrality of the background and shine.  These little moments of artistic bursts become that pulses that guide you as you walk through the museum.

5. Power station to Art museum

Describe your impressions both exterior and interior of the Tate Modern building. Is this an ideal building to house a modern collection?

Although the concept may seem strange at first, I believe that this site is perfect for housing a modern art collection.  The outside suggests a bleak sort of industrialism, a remnant of the working class.  The interior feels much the same, except much cleaner.  The interior walls are lined with iron beams that support the skeleton of the buiding, giving the museum a cold, bleak feel at times.  However, as a factory is on its own representing both a certain period and culture, it may even be considered a piece of art on its own.  Modern art is all about the contemplation of one’s position in society, and therefore the building is perfect to house the collection.

6. Object of appreciation

Provide a short description of your favorite object from the collections? Please provide label information such as name, date, origin, etc. Why would you return to this object for greater contemplation? 

I think the two pieces entitled Portrait 1986 and Portrait 1988 by Thomas Ruff were my favorite works from the collection.  I love how, rather than using sculptures, he uses photography to capture human expression.  However, the originality of these works derive from the complete lack of expression by the people themselves.  Notice that they are both well groomed and colorfully dress.  Indeed, everything about their appearance suggests success and happiness.  And yet, they seem almost robotic in their emotionless state.  This therefore leads to contemplation about the conflict between our interior selves, which is who we may truly be, and the exterior shell we choose to show the world.