Guggenheim "Storylines" Too Much to Tell-A Must See Show

The new exhibit at the Guggenheim is "Storylines: Contemporary Art."  The motley, exciting and thought provoking collection is a mixed bag of recent works by Int'l artists.  The vast majority created within the last decade. The mediums include, videos, photography, sculptures, installations, paintings and works that defy categorizing.  As you spiral around the museum, there are "Golden Chains" suspended from the doorways leading to side galleries by Cuban born artist Felix Gonzales-Torres.  I consider this exhibit as a trip to OZ; following the yellow brick road.  Expect the unexpected. Be open to an engaging narrative that marries art, syntax & literature.  Some works land close to home and others are intentionally off-putting.  These pieces address cultural, racial, political & sexual attitudes.  Writers were asked to add poetry or prose in response to some of the artists' works. Attached to the installation by Natascha Haghighian "I Can't Work Like This,"of protuding nails with nails & hammer scattered on the floor is a poem by Neil Gaiman.  The poem in part reads "Nothing endures:  My soul remains: complaints in a dead letter office, written with a finger on water and hard words whispered onto foggy glass."  Two works I found deeply stirring were Glenn Ligon's "Prisoner of Love" which appropriates Jean Genet's poetry.  And, Kevin Beasley's "Strange Fruit" a hanging sculpture comprised of large sneakers and wires which calls to mind gang violence & echoes Billy Holiday's reference to lynchings.  "Homelesslamp, the Juice Sucker," by Chilean artist Ivan Navarro fashions a shopping cart using neon lights causing us to observe what we may choose not to see.  Much is left to interpretation but this stimulating show will arouse contemplation.