Exhibition Review

The Water Exhibit at the Zimmerli Museum is a broad survey and diverse collection of historical and contemporary works. I felt that the guided tour had smooth transitions from room to room. The curator titled individual rooms to highlight the similar themes of the works. For example, one of the final rooms was entitled “Women in the Waves, Men in Boats,” which the curator explained was an allegorical history of water. In historical artworks, women have been depicted in or around water, such as the infamous Venus paintings of the Italian Renaissance. Additionally, men have been the individuals inside the boats, the valiant, strong and commanding sex. While women are the ones to be saved and rescued, men are the heroes and saviors. I feel the title of the room is a reflection of society’s polarization of strict gender roles in historical and contemporary life.

I feel each room had a balance of varying art mediums, with sculptures, installations, prints, and paintings distributed throughout and grouped according to harmonious and aesthetic balance. In the first room, the curator explained her method and conception behind balance and harmony. She discussed the Condensation Cube a large plexiglass sculpture of a cube with actual water condensation on the faces of the cube. The top inside of the cube had a glittery frosting, which added emphasis to the dewey and sometimes glittery appearance of morning dew and condensation. When standing in front of the cube, the viewer is able to see Iceberg II by Lynn Davis on the wall behind the sculpture. This selenium toned print is an idyllic, calming and aesthetically pleasing piece, which I feel balances the simplicity and minimalistic nature of the large cube. In the next room, we see Maya Lin's Dew Point, is a glass orb floor installation placed in the corner of the gallery walls. The large glass orbs are symbolic of dew drops, but its large size, symmetrical placement and equal sizes make the piece look very intentional and mechanical. It is a sculptural element that draws the viewer's eye to the artworks on the walls. The video and sound installations I felt was a necessity, because without moving visuals, sound and singing, the overall calm stagnation of the visual works would fall flat. Most of the works had cool, calming colors, with a flowing and effortless progression from one room to another. The noises, such as the video installation of a woman in an ocean humming Amazing Grace, became a distraction but also created mystery and curiosity, enticing the viewer to continue on to the end of the exhibit.