The Perez Art Museum Miami has become a landmark for us all. When the weekend begins we can all find ourselves running into enormous doors of PAMM. I have had the chance to visit the Museum numerous times, and I learn something new every time. But as I came across a piece by artist Jenny Holzer, things changed for me.
We fall in love with things before really knowing what they are all about. We let the aesthetic draw us in and have us thinking that we understand it, that we know what is going on. We refuse to go deeper into the subject and learn about the message being given to us.
Some of us dare to look a little bit closer. We try and see things for what they really are. And maybe that is what Jenny Holzer tried to share with us. That Inflammatory Essays although colored and brought to life - are cut throat. They spark thought and controversy and are a true example of more than meets the eye. Why does Holzer do this? Why print such strongly worded essays — all formatted the same on brightly colored papers.
People pose in front of this masterpiece for the beauty of it as a whole. Little do they know that individually these essays are curses and anger written down. Little do they know that Holzer passed out her essays like flyers in New York City hoping that some of us would read what was on them, instead of crumbling it into the trash. Holzer did this because we are used to the surface and we forget that there is more than what meets the eye. That as a whole and from a distance, it is pretty in pink, or cheerful in yellow, calm and cool in blue, yet aggressive in black font. But none of us notice that right? We just take a panoramic picture and move on to the next proclaimed work of art.
Jenny Holzer sparked something for me. What she did was show me that in order to catch the attention of others we need to present it to them in a way that pleases their eye. That way they will come close to what we have to offer and if their attention is caught they will proceed into looking more into what we have given to them.
PAMM has always been known for having controversial and thought provoking pieces of art, but never have they had one like Holzer's Inflammatory Essays. These essays have made home at PAMM during the most perfect of times. A time where we need to educate young adults and visitors of the importance of no longer focusing on shallow items and focusing on more than meets the eye.
