Though some take it for granted as another credential to the school, the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) should be a place students stop by at least once before graduation, whether it be during the evening or simply between classes. This month, there are two new exhibitions: Tradition Transformed: Chang Ku-nien, Master Painter of the 20th Century and UMMA Projects: Cory Arcangel, both featured until mid-April.
Arcangel’s work is known for being concerned with digital and media culture, according to the UMMA website. Essentially, he is known for remaking gaming systems. The exhibit features pieces like a YouTube video of a cat playing the piano and a version of the game Guitar Hero. These pieces show his compositional skill, which he honed at Oberlin Conversatory. There is much juxtaposition between his exhibit and Chang Ku-nien’s.
“For anyone interested in art, but more specifically interested in learning about art from different cultures, should check out Ku-nien’s exhibit,” guest curator Wen-Chien Cheng said. The title of the exhibition fits his works perfectly, as his works represent his experiences that led him to stray away, but still keep some tradition, from Chinese brushwork.
“As you know, Imperial China ended pretty much at the end of the 20th century and he (Ku-nien) was born before the Imperial China, so he actually experienced this tremendous change in social situation as well as political situation,” said Cheng., “and he was still in China at the turn of it, but he was forced to leave his hometown to Taiwan because of the political change in China...it also shows his individual response to this change and how he sort of exposed and passed on what he valued the most.”
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