Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

Looking back at our recent visit to The Windy City, I am amazed by all the incredible things we did.  One of those things hit me out of the blue and I am so glad it did.  We visited the Museum of Contemporary Art and there I was introduced to an artist whose work will have a lasting impact on art history and my life – Otobong Nkanga.

Nkanga’s current exhibition, “To Dig a Hole That Collapses Again,” is not only a commentary on the West’s dependence on African resources, but also on the rabid and rapid destruction of the environment by humans in general.  The exhibition itself is so immense (both in actual size, scope and number of pieces) that each visitor has no other option than to become part of it.  This idea of enveloping the viewer creates an intense interaction that requires each guest to go from passive viewer to active participant.  This show is moving, emotional, insightful and one that I will not soon forget.

“To Dig a Hole That Collapses Again” will be on view at the MCA until September 2, 2018.  For more information on this phenomenal exhibition, please visit…

https://www.mcachicago.org/Exhibitions/2018/Otobong-Nkanga

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I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida. In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium. The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too. Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.