My Achin' Noggin

Modern art needn’t represent an intellectual exercise in sterility.

The Kemper Museum recently hosted a festive avant garde exhibition titled Past In Reverse: Contemporary Art of East Asia. The wildly entertaining show left Kansas City in August, but it continues to resonate with me. A raucous collection of sculpture, painting and multi-media from several contemporary artists, the collection forced me to re-think my understanding of Asia, as well as my perception of art itself.

Strange Passages: An Installation by Maria Park, offers none of the stimulation of Past In Reverse. On display at the Kemper through October 9, Park's work is intentionally void of meaning and emotional indicators. I interpret its flat, empty images as a statement on advertising, television and jumbled historical context. I detest it.

On the other hand, I adore the giant Tom Otterness figure outside the museum (pictured). Although absurd, it manages to convey genuine pathos.