the Contemporary

“Grown-ups can touch anything,” said the little boy as he slumped up the stairs to the second floor. 

Can they?

 Museums have this subtle hold over us. The rules of the museum dictate how to behave: no running, no shouting, and no touching the art. These rules translate into behaviors of a model citizen: no rebellion, no provocation, and generally no disruptive behavior.

To a kid, the rights of a grown-up seem limitless. 

If only they knew.

Institutions like museums subtly police grown-ups every day, and the affects are often portrayed in art. Modern art conveys themes of both daily human existence and themes of institutional oppression, or at least, that’s the kind of modern art I find most memorable. 

The institutions oppress and then the victims create art about their feelings they cause… which are then put on display in other institutions.

Funny how things come full circle. 

While the museum may not be a direct cause of pain, they ever so sneakily dictate our behavior in a way that feels almost voluntary. We are willing to go along with whatever the museum tells us—in more ways than one. I wonder what else we simply go along with…