Esotericism and Incoherence
“Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition.” The WSU Museum of Art website (http://museum.wsu.edu/exhibitions.html) turns this phrase to attract the unsuspecting visitors. The Palouse art enthusiast. The visiting high school student who has lost his or her way. The WSU student hoping to salvage his or her grade with extra credit. The Honors College student who truly cares and wants to learn more about art. Each individual arrives with his or her own background and biases, but it is safe to bet that everyone expects to be pleased and impressed by what they see. The awarding of a Master’s Degree implies that the receiver is an expert in his or her field, and other evidence speaks to this standard as well; one of the exhibitioners, Tobias Walther, has even received a prestigious Fulbright grant back in the 2007-2008 year (http://www.tobiaswalther.com/). Although the artists presenting their work had not yet received their degrees, the expectation was that this would happen soon. The extraordinary talent and mind-blowing qualities inferred by the presentation’s title were undetectable for this observer.
Unlike the previous Chris Jordan exhibit, there was no advertised theme for the current arrangement. If this observer were to provide a title, it would be “Esotericism and Incoherence,” for only a few seemed to have the potential to understand such a presentation. The exhibit also consisted of several disparate components, ranging from Brad Dinsmore’s “Epistemological Notebooks” mixed media to Walther’s confusing “Sailor” film. Elements of the titles could sometimes be observed in the work itself, such as in Lauren McCleary’s piece (s) composed of mixed media: “Elephant Splat/Between Being/Walk Wonder.”. Although it was unclear to this reviewer if these three titles were for one artwork or three, the “Walk Wonder” element was intuitive; since the creation was an installation, one was required to physically move from one end to the other while enduring intense confusion as to what the message, point, or even materials were. Elephants were present throughout the work, and that particular corner of the room left this observer beside herself, possibly “Between Being?”
Another piece possessing this clandestine meaning was the unoriginally titled “Untitled” artwork by Dustin Price, which consisted of white pillows surrounding a real tree that was decorated by white Buddha-like statues. While it possessed aesthetic quality, the meaning was completely open to interpretation, so it could be argued to be nonexistent. This characteristic alone seems to suggest that Hickey, who argued that beauty trumped meaning, would appreciate this piece. The best and worst examples of this principle were also created by Price, who presented a series of very complex constructions, one of which was entitled “We Are Just Fine.” Most of these artworks consisted of several elements carefully arranged around a wooden box protruding from the wall. They were so complicated that they had a repelling effect on this observer; perhaps too much symbolism and meaning is possible. These artworks could not possibly satisfy Tolstoy’s beliefs; if the observer does not know what he or she is looking at or supposed to be feeling, the artist’s desired communication could not possibly come across.
The Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition failed to satisfy this observer’s expectations. The artists are no doubt skilled, but very little of this was obvious in the display. They would have earned much more respect from the museum visitors if a synopsis of their written work was available for perusal before the presentation was taken in. Brad Dinsmore and Heather Losey McGeachy took a step in this direction by showcasing technical skill (self-portrait) and creating a digital example of a classic art piece (digital painting), respectively. Perhaps if the other students had followed in their footsteps, they would appear to be better prepared to face the cold and critical art world that no doubt awaits them.
