The MFA art exhibit at Claremont Graduate School is quite impressive with its diversity and creativity. The artwork I’d like to share here is an installation one: a circle made of vertically-laid books on the ground.
Actually, I always have some difficulty understanding installation art. To me, it defies the traditional or dead way of looking into the world. I - - -in the process of emptying my mind - - - sometimes struggle to interpret what I see in those artworks. Somehow, this one caught my eye. Upon first sight, it reminded me of an artist who has made circles with stones/rocks/leaves/other nature-born materials in the wilderness throughout the world. Astonishing! I am lost in the silence of those “Found” works from Nature. A circle always amazes me with its ritual and mysterious feel. Its Core, Center, or Source, and reaches toward the Infinity. Its ineffable self is already poetry, art, spirituality, or at least philosophy. However, this circle is different from those made of natural materials and more tied with the so-called reality where our outer presence dims the inner one. The artist uses a horizontally laid book to cushion this circle and create a flowing feel. It is an Explosion or Invasion of Knowledge! This artwork could be more impressive or “threatening” to the eyes if the circle were bigger. But, of course, I can totally misunderstand the artwork.