Word: label
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...Label show...
...Label Show" is not the part of the MFA to visit when you're suffering from museum fatigue; it really makes you work, both physically and mentally. The exhibit deals with three questions: what art is; how art mirrors the time in which it is created; and how museums deal with contemporary art, which often seems to defy established categories...
...definition of the word "label" is purposely ambiguous. It refers most clearly to the explanatory texts that accompany works of art in museums. The show plays with this type of label by presenting several of them with each piece of art, by having the authors sign the texts (which are usually anonymous), and by placing the works and the labels relatively far apart, forcing the viewer to approach the piece without the intermediary of the label. This requires the viewer to put some effort into viewing; in many cases, the labels aren't next to the works to which they...
This technique also makes the show more fun than usual. The labels aren't the typical dry theoretical texts commonly offered by museums: one is written as a short play; on is designed as a "Family Place" activity sheet for children; another asks "WHY ARE YOU READING THIS LABEL?" They are written by the artists, the curators, subjects of portraits, and guest contributors to the show, ranging from curators of other museums to writers, playwrights, and magazine editors...
...word "label" also refers to the grouping of the works in the show. Headings on the walls divide the art into categories like "Local Scene" or "The Rebel Tradition." Other interpretations of the show's title are also at stake: in the section entitled "Others," none of the artists is a straight white male, which raises the issue of how we label groups in our society. "The Rebel Tradition" contains works that challenge the label of "art." One of the pieces in this section is actually a type of label itself: Declaration of Authenticity is a framed slip of paper...