An Unexpected Visit

Last week I got an email from my friend MR saying that she was in Berlin (Denmark borders Germany to the north) and could she swing by. Of course I was thrilled, and that is how I had a small college reunion almost 4000 miles away.

On Sunday MR and I went to the large art museum in Århus which only opened a handful of years ago (four?) called Aros. Aros is sort of a funny museum. The collections are very eclectic and spaced out; each has it's own floor and you take a large spiral staircase up to travel between them. However, on the lower level there is something called the 9 spaces which are nine small rooms that branch off a single narrow hallway which is painted black and dimly lit. Each contain bizarre video installations (are there any other kind) and really use the space perfectly. It's almost a little claustrophobic down there, and to add to the feeling, there are what I am guessing are support columns that cause giant bulges in the wall that create these false corners. The bulges I speak of are maybe 10 feet or more in diameter and just part of them push into the hall but it is in a way where you can follow the surface of the wall thinking it leads somewhere only to find yourself in a tight corner where the curved surface meets a flat one. I know, confusing. I apologize.


The museum acquired this piece which is plastered all over every promotional piece they have and I would say with good reason. It's by sculptor Ron Mueck whose work I was lucky enough to see when he had a solo show in Brooklyn last year. He has a background in special effects and his sculptures are incredibly realistic and this one, titled 'Boy' is easily the largest. While seeing it in person is absolutely an experience, I also think it's size works against it. The feet are immaculately rendered and represent what I think Ron Mueck does very well. Veins and toenails, really convincing details. However, having seen the rest of his work and what he is capable of I think the rest of the sculpture is a bit underdeveloped. It photographs fantastically and really looks convincing, but in real life it somehow misses the mark for me. Additionally, the scale put it out of the creepy large human range and into the definitely sculpture range. Some of his other pieces are maybe 7-15 feet high and just exude this eerie feeling that somehow these are just people on crazy growth hormones or something. One last nit-picky thing that I feel I have to mention or I will lose sleep are his pants. They are just some thin material and don't look very real at all. I understand the challenge of making pants for someone who might be 3 stories tall, but your average youth would rip right through those things.


The museum is quite beautiful and has these great glass windows the look out on the city as well as a roof deck from where this was taken. Århus is quite a flat place and I suppose I never really thought about it until I got up high. The visibility is stunning as the atmosphere is quite clear, surely a change from New York City. There also really aren't any significant landmarks to point out but it's really quite beautiful which at this point really doesn't come as a surprise.