The Show That Wasn't There

The 
Show
That 
Wasn't
There

“The Show That Wasn’t There” was an art exhibit shown at Gallery Dogmata in Chicago’s West Loop on April 11, 2006. The show deconstructed the relationship between exhibited artwork and documentation that is mounted on the wall, often in close proximity to the piece. The aim of this text is to educate the audience and help them to better appreciate the piece. The audience is to look at the artwork, read the text, and look at the artwork with new eyes and greater understanding. “The Show That Wasn’t There” exhibit took art documentation to an extreme degree in that the show consisted solely of wall-mounted texts and empty picture frames. Encased in clear acrylic frames, the document provided often cryptic insight into the blank wall and hanging wire that could be seen through the empty frame. Empty pedestals were also accompanied by foamcore plaques designed to inform the viewer about the complex, absent work. Bound copes of the fifty-page curatorial concept and artists’ statement were available at the front counter of the gallery.

Below are photographs taken an the exhibit and opening night reception.