THE INSTAGRAM-FRIENDLY ‘MUSEUM’ PHENOMENON.
Two kids are running amok inside the voluminous, neon-colored installation “Nature’s Gift” by artist collective Friends With You, which debuted at the Oakland Museum of California in October. As soon as they plop on a bean bag, gently lit by pink and yellow, their mom pulls out a smartphone. “Let me take your picture!” she cries, uploading the image to Instagram Stories. As I balance my baby in one arm and take a selfie with the other, I can identify. It’s nearly impossible not to snap away.
And that’s by design: The last couple of years have witnessed an unprecedented surge in immersive, highly photogenic exhibitions across the globe, from Yayoi Kusama’s traveling “Infinity Mirrors” (most recently in Los Angeles) and “Rain Room” to teamLab’s “Transcending Boundaries” at London’s Pace
Gallery. The Bay Area welcomed the trend in September when the Instagram sensation Museum of Ice Cream landed, after stints in New York City and Los Angeles, at the historic One Grant Avenue building downtown. Sure, it charms kids, but there are also plenty of social media-savvy, fashionable Millennials who are eager to swing on a swing, crawl into a mirrored cave and climb a unicorn, all striving for that million-likes photo.
In addition to the whimsical sugarcane extravaganza (which has sold out its extended stay through Feb. 26) and the Oakland Museum of California’s offering (which recently closed), San Franciscans have been enjoying the homegrown and also sold out Color Factory. The pop-up exhibition by the team behind crafts website Oh Happy Day is a bold, iridescent playland. Its opening attracted San Francisco’s biggest social media influencers in color-coded outfits for best photo-op results.
Whether the phenomenon is bound to pass or here to stay, it is certainly of the moment.
“Social media and digital culture in general have cultivated an attitude for increasingly quick consumption and dissemination of images,” says Glen Helfand, art critic and associate professor of visual and critical studies at California College of the Arts. “We want to immediately see and share, but not necessarily digest.”
According to Helfand, San Francisco’s warm embrace of these “seamless, open experiences” isn’t accidental.
“These shows are sensory experiences, not conceptual or critical ones. They emulate the immersive environment of the computer screen,” he says. “This speaks to the dominance of tech culture here, as well as of the spectacle style of Burning Man, and also the pervasive wealth of audiences — both projects weren’t cheap to get into.”
Yet even given ticket prices of $35 to $38, these hybrid projects of experiences and Instabackgrounds are proving to be highly popular. Color Factory’s website would promptly run dry each time a new ticket batch appeared online; the exhibit has attracted roughly 80,000 visitors as of press time. In a similar fashion, when the Museum of Ice Cream announced its arrival to the city, tickets sold out within minutes, making the local news. Oakland’s “Nature’s Gift” attracted approximately 25,500 visitors between October and December alone. In comparison, “Pacific Worlds,” another Oakland Museum of California exhibition that ran for seven months in 2015, had about 35,000 visitors.
Carin Adams, curator for the Oakland museum, sees “Nature’s Gift” as an experience, emphasizing its communal, hands-on aspect: “It is true that institutions are looking for ways to make people feel a part of something, to not just see but to experience,” she says. Appealing to the smartphone camera is part of it: “That’s something that museums have been slower to come to, particularly art institutions, which don’t allow photography,” Adams says. “Photographing and sharing are important ways to connect with each other, and we feel that if the exhibition is successful, people will document it.”
The relationship between the museum experience and Instagram “likes” is permeating the traditional canvas as well. Heather Day is a San Francisco artist and, with 126,000 followers, somewhat of an Instagram star. Her abstract, large-format paintings photograph extremely well, lending one’s Instagram feed a pleasant pop of color. Instagram exposure has brought her brand collaborations with Subaru, Bonmot Clothing and more.
Day sees advantages to the exposure, such as independence and sharing work directly with the audience, but other parts are less exciting. “If a person knows I have a large following on Instagram, he or she might place more importance on me,” she says, “and that’s where it gets sad, as some artists deserve more attention for their work but might not be as good at communicating it.”
And as for the Museum of Ice Cream and similar projects? “I’m frustrated by the misuse of the word ‘museum,’ ” Day says. “Companies like that really need to think about what they’re doing and how instant it is.” The presence of immersive Instagram candy is challenging to artists, as it packs an incomparable shock factor, she notes.
“When I worked on my recent solo show, I was thinking about my Millennial demographic and their short attention span and how to make them actually look close at the painting rather than just stand in a glitter room.” Does she think the rainbows and the disco balls will stay with us much longer? “Things like that are bound to get old,” she says. “The word ‘experience’ is becoming generic.”
Critic and art professor Helfand agrees: “While the shows seem splashy and fun, my sense is that they may not go down in history as notable art pieces that anyone will be discussing next year.”
Better ride that unicorn while it lasts.
“Social media and digital culture in general have cultivated an attitude for increasingly quick consumption and dissemination of images.” Glen Helfand, art critic and associate professor of visual and critical studies, California College of the Arts