In 2012, Christto and Andrew began joint forces to create powerful pieces for the world to see. Based in Qatar and Denmark, the artists made their debut in the United States at the SCAD Museum of Art, and they did not disappoint. Their exhibit, “A Message From Venus,” consists of bright photographs plastered against a pink hallway in the museum’s heart, curated by Humberto Moro. The above-noted is part of SCAD’s deFINEART 2021 and will continue to be displayed through August 1st.
The artists are known for their take on surrealism, highlighting the effects of history, politics, pop culture, and other global themes. “A Message From Venus” broadcasts the ideas of how globalized culture reacts to dissimilarities in our relationships and experiences of image-making. Heavy with symbolism, the photographs show various subjects in typically unorthodox circumstances that do not align with a particular time period. Christto and Andrew attempted to create their own mythology whilst relying on aspects of pop culture throughout the ages, and they succeeded.
Taking a look at the exhibit, everything presented to me took a second to digest. At first glance, your eyes travel through a variety of scenes that don’t seem to make sense. Except they do. Flowers paired with chains and plastic, taxidermy chained to cadavers, and a handful of other figures actively tell the story the artists aimed to convey. For me, their piece “The Future Ain’t What It Used to Be” tied everything together. The snake crawling up against an old keyboard with the words perfectly aligned paused my traveling eyes and transfixed them into a single gaze. The paradox between past, present, and future transcends through the photograph. All the images tell a different story but act as pieces that combine into a puzzle. I felt empowered by the careful curation of the exhibit and the detail behind each piece of art. Combined with the story and background of Christto and Andrew, “A Message From Venus” is a visual experience you will not want to miss, regardless of your connection or expertise with art. Uplifting, comforting, and slightly unnerving all at once, this beautiful exhibit will leave its mark at the SCAD Museum long past its closing.
Words and Graphic by Antonia Sousa