Art, Travel
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MoCA, LA: October

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MoCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) was considerably smaller than all of the other museums we’ve been to in the US, and I think it might have been the last one we visited, if I recall correctly. My cousin, Christina, actually kind of gave us a disclaimer to not expect much, since we had been to much bigger museums on our trip. The truth is, it’s kind of hard to disappoint us when it comes to contemporary art anyway. I mean, it’s not like we see these pieces in the flesh normally, so it’s always a treat, no matter how small the space.

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Also, their collection of Rauschenbergs was pretty outstanding. Might have turned me off of his work for a while, though, if I am honest.
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Interview, Robert Rauschenberg

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The information I have is lacking. Isn’t it funny how sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t get a full 100%? I mean, sometimes, you pull it off, but the little things just get in the way sometimes. Anyway, I did my best.

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Some Rooms, John Baldessari

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Some Rooms, with Ed Ruscha’s Lisp and Hans Haacke’s Condensation Cube in the background

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White Plains, Hannah Wilke

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Andy Warhol: Shadows

Aside from selections from the permanent collection and The Social Landscape: Selections from the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Photography Collection, we got to see Andy Warhol’s Shadows. I know his work is pretty divisive and polarizing, but you can’t deny that there’s always a thought he tries to express, explore and expound on with what he creates. I’m not always a fan of his work, but Shadows was something that really hit the home run for me.

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Shadows is a 102-part series made up of abstractions, and I think that the lack of an obvious figure is part of what really drew me to it. As you can see, the canvases are huge and they wrapped themselves around one of MoCA’s rooms. I am, at once, fascinated and repulsed by repetition. I hate when I have to do it, but I am always drawn to it when I encounter it, especially when there is irregularity and little differences, especially in art.

MoCA may be the smallest museum space we visited this round, but it’s what you do with the space that counts. I was pleasantly surprised with their permanent collection—I’m kind of sad that I can’t see it when they change it up—and I don’t know if it’s because I was told not to expect much. Either way, it was a good place to spend an afternoon.

Visit MoCA.org