Review: Visual Arts

Cosima Von Bonin: Hippies Use Side Door.
The Year 2014 Has Lost The Plot

MUMOK – Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Vienna

Spoiler alert. Be warned, this exhibition did not excite! Cosima Von Bonin’s latest exhibition is across several floors of the MUMOK and it is impressive. There are loads of cultural references and heaps of barbs at things within our culture, particularly the american culture we have all come to love and loath. It was an interesting experience to visit this massive exhibition.

I took my time – but

This form of contemporary conceptual installation can work wonders or it can be something ordinary. I read the catalogue essay, then took my time to look at the work. I left feeling disappointed. I didn’t buy the hype.

This exhibition was about making statements on our western culture. For me the exhibition itself was as superficial as the culture being criticised.

This was not work as intelligent and complex as artists such as Annette Messager. Granted the artists has an enormous output, but I found the work very repetitive and lacking in techniques. The music was of little interest; although the sound bells themselves worked very well.

I kept on thinking that too many others had already covered this ground and had been much more sophisticated about it. The whole exhibition was a case whereby less may have been more successful.

Having dumped on the exhibition so heavily, I can still say that I was happy to have seen the whole thing. It is always of interest to see such a production and well-managed marketing job. This allows one to do a reality check on what is good, what is bad and what gets marketed as being something it is not.

All good fun. If you are in Vienna – yes go and have a look. There are a couple of others collection exhibitions on other floors and they are definitely of interest.

I have to say that the MUMOK is a wonderful building. And they have a very strange Cindy Sherman work hanging over their shop next to the cafe.

Exhibition – Recommendation: Rating 6/10

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Paul Costigan