Water Exhibition Review

Water is a theme that can be interpreted in many ways. For centuries it has been worshiped for its life giving qualities, its beauty, and its serenity, as well as feared for its destructive qualities. From an artistic standpoint, there are many ways to approach the topic of water and at the entrance to Water, the wall text states the intention of the exhibition: “To provoke a reassessment of your relationship to water and a greater appreciation for its life giving presence on our blue planet.” There is a great display of water in many forms through an interesting combination of work that is owned by the Zimmerli along with some borrowed works. It shows art that normally would not be seen together and is a great use of such a diverse collection. The time and differences that span across the creation of each artwork emphasizes the important role that water has played throughout the ages for artists from all walks of life. Everything in the exhibition seems to ‘flow’ one into the other. Each idea spills into the next due to the positioning of the artwork at a close distance and helps the viewer to draw connections between each piece. For example in one room the basic theme was water in the landscape. Displayed between a painting by John Constable called Brighton Beach and John Jesse Barker’s View of New Brunswick Railroad Bridge was Edward Foley’s piece entitled Two Lakes (diptych). Foley’s screen print on wood challenges the classical depiction of the landscape, while Constable and Barker’s paintings fit the more traditional description of a landscape--a vast sky, wilderness, and some form of water. Through these pairings, the missing pieces in Foley’s landscape can be identified. It is interesting to consider how the meaning of each work may have changed from what the artist originally intended, but the arrangements allow for a new meaning and almost revitalization of familiar works to the museum through the simple gesture of changing the context which they are viewed in. To add to the diversity of the subject throughout the exhibition you can participate in a cell phone tour that has interviews from experts other than Art Historians, such as a geologist giving opinions and insights outside of an artistic perspective. It helps to contribute to the diversity of the exhibition and paired with the artworks ultimately allows the viewer to reassess their relationship to water.

The works I selected from Water are some of the more contemporary pieces in the show. While the entire show encompasses a variety of interpretations and inspirations by different artists, there were a few pieces that caught my attention. Water is a prominent theme throughout the history of art and has been a subject for artists and people alike to dwell upon and create from. What I wanted to focus more on the non-traditional interpretations of water. Each of these artists takes more of an indirect approach to the theme and offers a view of water in a different light.

In Hans Haacke’s Condensation Cube he brings the actual process of creating water into the gallery. It it simple, clean, and elegant and is by no means what one would think of immediately when considering the topic of water. The way the light catches the drops of water creates a beautiful prismatic affect that helps to draw your attention to it, until you realize exactly what it happening in the piece. It is a combination of science and art in a process that is taught to us in school at a young age.

In Edward Foley’s piece entitled Two Lakes (diptych), we are shown a screen print on wood that deals with the subject of water in the landscape. While he strays away from the identifying color of blue for water in his work, you are able to identify the texture of the water’s surface and the reflective quality of water in each ‘lake.’ It is in fact a landscape, but it is missing information that would make it easily identifiable to us--a horizon line, trees, people, etc.

In Maya Lin’s work entitled Pin River - Hudson, is another piece that deals with the subject of water in the landscape. It is made out of steel pins nailed into the wall in a specific way to imitate the shape of the Hudson River on a map. It is delicate and intricate unlike the actual river, but possesses a similar beauty which has served as inspiration for artists for hundreds of years. The shadows cast by the pins creates a movement through the piece that gives the sense of flowing water. Not only does this piece pay tribute the artistic qualities of water, but its importance in history in the development of this country. Also, it offers a very unique view of water in the landscape.

In George A. Tice’s Water Tower, Rahway, New Jersey, we are offered a look into history. Most water towers were built during the Industrial Revolution and many are now architectural landmarks and monuments. The photograph reminds me of the New Topographics work done by Bernd and Hilla Becher in which they documented industrial architecture. Tice adapts a similar straightforward and frontal style, allowing the tower to occupy the entire frame. Like Bernd and Hilla Becher he is documenting something from a different time. Also, he is depicting one of the many sources of water throughout history in line with systems such as aqueducts, channels, pipes, and sewers. It is a portion of a long list of advancements in water technology.

In Atul Bhalla’s series of 20 individually framed photographs called Piaus, the artist depicts different forms of receiving water in an urban environment. In the photographs we are shown rusted pipes, drinking fountains, and sinks amongst different types of graffiti and other garbage. It can serve as a reflection on the quality of water in different parts of the world and the challenges that many people endure just to have safe drinking water. The pictures are portrait-like and how they are displayed extremely close to one another is effective. It allows each photograph to play off each other by way of composition, color scheme, patterns, and lines, as well as enhances their overall meaning.

These selections offer “vivid portrayals of water interlaced with human purpose that remind us of the central role of water in human endeavor.”