An art exhibit by Edward Ruscha.
Chocolate room is unique among Ruscha's oeuvre as his only installation.[1]
History
editBackground
editRuscha was trained in the graphic arts.[2]
The work was created in the context of the intersection of concept art and pop art.[3]
Ruscha had previously used unconventional materials in artworks; the year before Chocolate Room was first exhibited he created an unbound, 75-page book called "Stains", with each page featuring a silk screening of various found materials, including candle-wax, chocolate, Coca-Cola and witch-hazel. Within the context of a book, the markings took on connotations of the written word.[3] At the time he made Chocolate Room, he was working on the News, Mews, Pews, Brews, Stews & Dues exhibit, which consisted of six words, printed with substances such as axel grease and pie filling.[1]
1970 exhibition
editIn 1970, curator Henry Hopkins commissioned 47 artists to create works for the United States Pavilion in the 35th Venice Biennial, of whom half withdrew, protesting the Vietnam War. A room was set aside for printmaking works and Ruscha was selected as the first. According to Ruscha, he had the idea for the work on the plane to Venice as a continuation of his use of unconventional materials.[1] For the exhibit, Ruscha and art dealer Brooke Alexander gathered large amounts of Nestlé chocolate paste, and in the Pavilion silk-screened chocolate onto 360 deluxe, handmade Fabriano sheets of paper (measuring 27.5 by 17.875 inches (69+7⁄8 cm × 45+3⁄8 cm)) with printer William Weege.[2][1] He then attached these sheets, four high, to the walls of a windowless room. The space was lit by sunlight entering through an open door, and low-watt bulbs overhead, creating a soft, warm glow.[2] From outside the space, the smell of chocolate was present through the Pavilion.[3]
As the summer heat gradually melted the exhibit, visitors drew anti-war slogans and peace signs into the sheets.[1][3] In 2023, Ruscha said that at the time, he had not found this very offensive.[1] The exhibit was ended prematurely, after it attracted large amounts of ants.[3]
Later history
editIn 1995, curators Ann Goldstein and Anne Rorimer featured Chocolate Room in a survey of conceptual at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the first time it had been exhibited since 1970. The museum acquired the work in 2003.[1] As of 2023, Chocolate Room had been exhibited in Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Anchorage, Reno and Oklahoma City. All post-1995 exhibits had been installed by the La Paloma Fine Arts company, operated by the McPherson family.[1]
2023 "Now Then" exhibition
editIn 2023, Chocolate Room was shown for an eight time in New York as part of the "Now Then" exhibition. In putting on the exhibition, Rusche did not prioritize accuracy to previous exhibits. In a description in the New York Times of the screen-printing process, members of the McPherson family maintain a pool of melted chocolate with reserves kept in double boilers. The rubber blade of the squeegee is drawn across the screen's mesh, leaving chocolate on the paper below. The sheets are hung on drying racks, each containing 0.2 pounds (90 g) of chocolate. The installation at the "Now Then" exhibition was the first to use dark chocolate, chosen for its visual appeal.[1]
Analysis
editChocolate Room engages with the values ascribed to chocolate, creating a "bittersweet" experience by attracting viewers with the scent of chocolate that they cannot eat once inside.[3]
References
editSources
edit- Diehl, Travis (September 1, 2023). "Ed Ruscha's 'Chocolate Room' Still Tantalizes". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- Katsikopoulou, Myrto (September 18, 2023). "how did ed ruscha cover an entire room at the MoMA with chocolate?". Designboom. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- Knight, Christopher (April 7, 2024). "Review: Ed Ruscha show wowed in New York. Why it's even better in L.A." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- Statton, Liza (Winter 2006). "Bittersweet Obsession: Ed Ruscha's Chocolate Room". Gastronomica. 6 (1). JSTOR 10.1525/gfc.2006.6.1.7.
- Trescott, Jacqueline (October 30, 2004). "Ed Ruscha Chosen for Biennale". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- Vogel, Carol (December 12, 2003). "Inside Art". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2024.