Robert Miller Gallery

Chelsea Galleries- Visit One 9/25/09

Today I went to Chelsea to see the shows that were assigned for Thesis. I saw them all and some others that caught my eye as I walked down the blocks of galleries. The show I particularly liked and want to discuss is the Barthelemy Toguo solo show, The Pregnant Mountain at the Robert Miller Gallery. The room that caught my attention was the installation called "The AIDS issue cannot be solved thanks to the distribution of of condoms," which is a clever and profound re-working of a statement made by Pope Benedict XVI addressing the AIDS crisis. Installed in the room was a stylized representation of an African hospital ward with beds set up and clothes piled on top. The floor was lined with cardboard banana boxes, a popular export of Africa as well as a phallic object. When viewing this installation I couldn't help but to think back to the David Goldblatt's photography exhibit at the New Museum and his depiction of AIDS in South Africa. They both took political stance on the issue, but I felt as if Toguo had a stronger effect on me even with the overwhelming amount of red AIDS ribbons and poverty depicted in Goldblatt's photographs. In fact, there were hardly any literal depictions of AIDS in Toguo's installation. His successful subtle way of addressing such a hard issue impressed me greatly. (pictures and more posts coming soon...)