We stopped by the New Museum’s preview of their fascinating 2012 Triennial, The Ungovernables, yesterday. In her introductory remarks, Curator Eungie Joo talked about the task of putting together a show with over 50 different artists from around the world. The exhibit, which opens today, focuses on contemporary artists who were all born between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s, many of whom have never before exhibited in the US.
As she traveled around the world in preparation for this show Joo said she couldn’t help but recognize a real paradigm shift in global contemporary art. The exhibition recognizes that there has been a reversal of terms when it comes to the idea of “civil disobedience and self-determination,” — and this was all even before Occupy Wall Street!
The thing that struck Joo the most about the work represented in the show was “an important sense of urgencies from these international artists” — many of whom were on hand for the preview. Much of the work is impermanent, created specifically for the space and focuses on “an engagement with the present and future.” Joo said part of her motivation for bringing these artists together was the hope that they could begin a conversation with each other.
The show does feel like a refreshing, exciting conversation from all different corners of the world. “There’s intentionally not a beginning or an end to the exhibit,” she said, “you can start on any floor, explore it from the first floor up, or from top to bottom.”
The museum has a full schedule of salons, workshops and site-specific installations programmed outside the exhibit, throughout the next two months. Be sure to check out their event listings here.
