Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston

I've been in Boston for the last week or so, trying to soak up the sights and reacquaint myself with the area I grew up in. Circumstances have allowed me the opportunity to explore some of the City's great supply of galleries and museums, and to learn more about the art and history of one of my favorite places.

One of the first places I managed to step foot in was the Institute of Contemporary Art, located on the pier in South Boston, just below the historical North End and Beacon Hill. I had been here once before, in the frigid winter years previous, and given the beautiful weather I happily took the chance to explore the outside of the building, which is architecturally fascinating.

Before I even get to the exhibits contained within, I want to mention how much I enjoyed the structure itself, in addition to the views one gets from within. That's an odd thing to state, I imagine, given that this is a museum; one should spend their time here looking inwards at the works displayed. But the building sits right on the water, and has a 4th floor viewing deck where one can take in the sights of portions of Boston Harbor, and of East Boston across the way. Also, as you might be able to see from the picture above, there is a smaller triangular room that juts from the bottom of the upper structure. This space is where the museum has a series of computer screens with information of both the building and the featured artist exhibit on display at that time. One can sit there, change their visual input for a while, and learn about the design and creation of the ICA, as well as hear short interviews with the artist whose work you've just been enjoying. This will also offer you an amazing view, in addition to a small amount of voyeurism of the people strolling about on the pier below.

You might be able to tell, but I really enjoyed the architecture. Maybe a little more than the current showing of art, unfortunately. The current show on display is the work of Jim Hodges, titled Give More Than You Take. This exhibit explores the past 25 years of Hodges career, considering the trajectory and themes of his work. Hodges works in many mediums, with an approach similar to collage and assemblage, creating pieces from broken mirrors, denim, gold leaf, or color swatches. He works in both 2D and 3D spaces, in addition to installation art. Hodges takes everyday objects and materials into meaningful considerations of themes dealing with time, identity, loss, and love.

Jim Hodges
"Untitled (one day it all comes true)"
2013

One of my favorites shown was the massive "Untitled (one day it all comes true", seen above. Made from various shades of denim, Hodges explains that this work is the product of an epiphany he had while driving. He saw a wondrous and expansive sunset one night, and immediately imagined it as a large work made entirely from jeans. The whole piece is immense, taking up the entirety of one very large wall on the top floor of the ICA. One can spend hours standing before the fabric, exploring the nooks and crannies of the embroidery.

Jim Hodges
"Happy - A World in a World"

I also loved this work. It stands just under 6 feet, if my memory serves, and consists of just markers on paper, but despite it's overall simplicity I found it fascinating. It's all about line, for me. Still haven't figured that one out. I can stand there and follow lines and colors for hours and lose track of time completely. Which I did. There is an awesome sense of 3 dimensional space is a 2D world, the different color palettes of the inner circle contrasting just enough with the surround area to lift it above the page. On occasion there would be a break in a line of color. A little skip in trajectory. Even that is fascinating. I guess that's all you have to do to interest me: draw a line on a page.

Most of the work on display was interesting, but only just. For me, for most of it, it was more that I found the idea intriguing and potentially amazing. I found myself looking at Hodges work, and most of the time I was more interested in how I would execute it my own way. It pulled me out of the space and was a little jarring to me. In some of his works he would take a large photograph and cut smaller shapes from it, bending them outwards to create new planes in the work. This had the potential to create a very interesting contrast, to turn a flat planed work into a sculpture, but I often found myself considering the ways in which it didn't quite work for me.

Jim Hodges
Here's Where We Will Stay
1995

Hodges has a series of works made from mirrors, where they have been methodically broken and then reassembled. In some of them they've been placed in corners to allow the carefully placed light source to reflect in such a way. In others, one can stand before them and marvel at the interesting distorted image. I remain unsure as to how I feel about these. In many ways they could be successful, but somehow they don't feel that way. But, given that assessment, I feel my interest in works is further enhanced by its physical depiction. My desire to make and create work is less driven by concept, and more by the end result and the journey to that point. Hodges art is heavily based in the conceptual, something that I have a tendency to ignore, or spend little time honing and focusing. Meaning can be found in process, which I enjoy. Perhaps this is something that had me at a disadvantage when walking into this exhibit.