Commercial work is often equated with selling out in the minds of those who fancy themselves as art buffs. But commercial art and art inspired by the commercial world are on the rise. It's definitely something that should be dealt with in a time dominated by materialism and corporate influence. "Branded and On Display," now open at the Tufts University Arts Gallery, showcases a collection of work that plays with the concept of commercialization. Some of the artists approach commercialization as the subject of their work, while others use it as a framework for more conceptual pieces.
The former method is seen in the work of Laurie Hogan, Amy Barkow, Amelia Moore and Yuken Teruya, among others. The latter characterizes the work of artists including Donna Nield and the architectural firm Diller and Scofidio.
Hogan's 24 oil paintings, "Allegory of Psychodemographics: Twenty-Four Brands My Family Uses in a Typical Summer Day" form a series of portraits incorporating recognizable company logos. The subject of each image is a generic-looking monkey, whose expression and coloring reflect the specific logo with which it is pictured. Each portrait is easily identifiable as the same monkey; however, they are all very different from one another as they mimic and appropriate the logo pictured.
Barkow and Moore both work in photography, but achieve divergent outcomes. Moore's "Children of the Corn" is a vast print of a crowd at a university sporting event. From afar it is just an abstraction of color and is only recognizable as many tiny figures upon closer inspection. It is a keen commentary on the homogenization that results from mass branding. Barkow seems to be expressing the same sentiments in another fashion. Her series of snapshot portraits was developed with the ghost of the Kodak film logo superimposed. Though different people are pictured in different places, an overwhelming sameness prevails courtesy of this corporate branding. In the works of both artists, branding relieves individuals of their identities.
Teruya's "Notice Forest" is a collection of paper bags from various companies, each housing a single surgically-cut and folded model tree inside. The pieces are stunning, if only because of the meticulous attention to detail given to each tree in its individual bag. They form eerie dioramas, lone trees bathed in shafts of filtered fluorescent light afforded by the tiny cuts in the tops of the bags. There is a definite connection between the logos on the bags and the organic images within, but what that means is for the viewer to decide. Regardless of what the audience may come up with, the work is jarring.
Nield turns the tables on the viewer with "Quartered Circle" by turning her audience rather than her art into what's viewed. The piece is a large circular set of benches that viewers are allowed to sit on, but they face inward, forcing a gallery visitor to become an object on a display shelf.
Diller and Scofidio's "Pageant" is a loop of images with accompanying sound, projected on a screen on the floor. The action consists entirely of recognizable company logos morphing into one another. The animation is mesmerizing, and viewers are caught off guard by the silent recitation of internalized company names as the logos appear. With the realization that this is going on, it is almost disturbing to realize just how many of these companies can be evoked with just a quick visual cue.
"Branded and on Display" toys with the notion of the typical gallery experience, making it easy to get confused at first when entering. The absence of certain conventions, most noticeably labels placed next to each piece with the name of the artist and the work, can be construed as poor planning. But with this kind of show, it seems that everything exists for a reason. The identifying information is instead found in a gallery brochure, available at the desk. This plays into the theme of commercialization. After all, when it comes to products we might buy, we only care about the details if we're seriously interested in a purchase. This same idea is at work here, reducing the artwork to products, in which viewers are only vaguely interested unless they take the time to look further.
