Now Showing at Sarasota Art Museum, Part 2

"Sara Berman's Closet" 

Sarasota Art Museum always has a lot going on, and now is no exception. Five very different exhibits are on display into the fall. Each stands on its own and warrants time and consideration. But if you dig in, you'll realize the exhibits are in conversation with one another. 

"Sara Berman's Closet" is a "small but monumental" exhibit. It tells the story of Sara, a woman from Belarus whose family emigrated to Palestine during the time of pograms. Sara married and had two daughters and lived her life. But she eventually realized it wasn't the life she wanted. And so, at the age of 60, she packed a bag, said goodbye to her husband and moved to New York. It was an act of faith and bravery. And she thrived. 

Daughter Maira Kalman and grandson Alex Kalman welcomed Sara with open arms. But Sara didn't exchange one family living situation with another. She got a sun-drenched studio apartment in Greenwich Village and made her own life. She decided to wear only white (as evidenced by the closet). She went to MOMA every Wednesday to see whatever film was being screened. She made latkas for a taste of home using the grater she'd brought in her suitcase. It was a simple life, and it was hers. 

The exhibit features both Sara's orderly closet and wonderful illustrations about Sara's life by Maira, whose work has graced the cover of New Yorker magazine. For more on the exhibit, which runs through September 17, click here. 

Installation by Carlos Bunga

"Reassembling Spilt Light: An Immersive Installation by Carlos Bunga" is a straight up monumental exhibit. It's impossible to capture in a photograph what it's like to experience the temporary structure that Bunga has built. Constructed with cardboard, masking tape and screws, the work is perfectly situated in Koski Gallery with its soaring ceiling and skylights. And there's a reason for that. 

Bunga was on site for three weeks creating his work. He'd seen pictures of the gallery and knew he wanted to take advantage of its height and light. He didn't, however, know exactly what he would construct until he got here. Admittedly, it was a wee bit stressful for the Museum staff. But the excitement of witnessing Bunga's process firsthand far outweighed any concerns. 

The resulting work is beautiful and moving. And it will all come down when the exhibit is over. Its impermanence is a big part of the story. Bunga considers himself a nomad, although he was technically a refugee before he was even born. His mother fled the violence of the Angolan Civil War while pregnant with Carlos. His two year old sister also made the journey. They settled in Portugal where they lived in makeshift government housing called to mind by his temporary structures. He is now based in Barcelona and has a lovely family of his own who were here with him for the project.  

The exhibit has other components as well, including videos and paintings made on moving blankets he found in the gallery. Soon it will also include drawings featuring Carlos' visions of other alternatives for the space. I am eager to see them. 

"Reassembling Spilt Light" runs through October 29. For more on the exhibit, click here.  

Chakaia Booker with "Empty Nest"

Last, but not least, is "Chakaia Booker: Surface Pressure." Like Bunga, Booker works in multiple mediums. But she's best known for her sculptures made from tires. Yes, tires from cars and trucks and bicycles. Again, photographs do not capture the power and surprising nuance of these works. The tires have been cut and stripped and molded to created Booker's vision. "Empty Nest" is one of two works in the exhibit with the word "nest" in the title. Coincidentally, Bunga said he views his creative process as being more akin to a bird building its nest than the work of an architect.  

Booker lived in the East Village in the '70s and '80s, a time when the streets were littered with debris and car fires were a frequent occurrence. She became interested in incorporating these materials in her work. At the time she was creating jewelry and used burnt rubber from tires and other found objects in her pieces. 

Over the years, her practice grew -- literally. She began creating relatively small sculptures from tires retrieved from dumps and the street. (Today Michelin donates tires from race cars and motorcycles to Booker to use in her art.) "Empty Nest" weighs in at over 1,000 pounds. Her work speaks to issues of accumulation and transformation and, of course, environmental concerns. 

The maintenance required for these works is also an important component. The unexpected smell of WD-40 wafted through the galleries in advance of the exhibit's opening. But if you want something to survive, you have to take care of it. The metaphor is there for the taking. We need to take care of ourselves -- not only our physical beings, but our inner lives and each other. Sara Berman did this when she left her husband and moved to New York. Bunga's mother did this when she left Angola with her family in search of peace. And Booker does it each day as she dresses herself in a headscarf like the one shown in the picture above. The look has become a part of her identity. 

"Chakaia Booker: Surface Pressure" runs through October 29. For more information, click here.