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New Saadiyat art installation meets critical acclaim
ABU DHABI (The Lyle White Report) — Due to adamant requests from the NYU Abu Dhabi Visual Arts Department, Jo Baba’s work Untitled 3.274 will continue ...
May 9, 2015
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ABU DHABI (The Lyle White Report) — Due to adamant requests from the NYU Abu Dhabi Visual Arts Department, Jo Baba’s work Untitled 3.274 will continue to show until September 2015.
Already a familiar sight to the community, Baba’s installation has been on display beneath the staircase in front of the Marketplace since mid-February. The artwork features a sheet of shattered glass and a paper sign marked, “Caution Broken Glass.” It is part of Baba’s larger series titled Excerpts from an Expiring Universe.
Born and raised in Tokyo, Baba’s work explores the boundaries of human emotions as well as themes of desolation in metropolitan cities. The current work on show, Untitled 3.274, was inspired by his most recent trip back to his hometown.
“Everyone is so lonely in Tokyo, so broken inside. But no one notices it,” said Baba. “I wanted to encapsulate that loss of connection between humans, so that’s why I hid my artwork underneath the stairs where it could be ignored.”
When asked about the installation title, Baba replied, “I always use the The Abstract Art Title Generator. It’s a really great resource when you’ve made something, but don’t have the slightest clue of what to call it.”
NYUAD Arts Center staff Samantha O’Keely initially discovered Baba’s work in the Musashino Art University Library in 2011.
“I was really touched by Jo’s concept of expressing isolation in destruction, and was happy when he accepted my invitation to show his work on Saadiyat,” said O’Keely.
Untitled 3.274 has been displayed on other university campuses such as Zayed University and American University in Dubai, where it received mixed reviews.
“I filed a facilities report three weeks in a row,” said AUD student Aurelia Mills. "No one got back to me."
Zayed University hired curators to sit next to the art piece in round-the-clock shifts and defend it from the Facilities team and nearby philistines. Approximately every half hour, the curators were told to shout at passers-by: “This is art! Human connection is futile and meaningless!"
Even among the recent criticism, Baba is happy to see his work on display.
“Some people just don’t get my style,” Baba said. “But I’m really glad that NYUAD has accepted my artwork, and even asked to exhibit it for longer.”
Lyle White is a satire columnist. Email him at feedback@gzl.me.
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