Walking into the Wisconsin Triennial exhibit at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, an atmosphere of serenity and tranquility greets guests immediately.
With birds softly tweeting in the background, the tone is perfect for evoking an emotional reaction from the pieces on display.
Featuring works from artists such as Colin Matthes, Xiaohong Zhang and Brendan Baylor, the exhibit mainly reflects the current issues surrounding the environment.
Matthes’ pieces, all a part of his collection titled “Essential Knowledge,” implement satire to achieve their desired effect. Utilizing ink on paper, ostensibly ripped out directly from his sketchbook, Matthes provides various how-to’s ranging from “How to Eat Insects” to “Surviving a Grizzly Attack.”
Zhang’s “Brave New World,” comprised of four large panels side-by-side, jumping out at anyone passing by. The work speaks to the elimination of the natural in favor of the industrial, employing Christian imagery to illustrate our worship of the latter over the former.
Where Matthes is perverse and indirect, Baylor is straightforward and upfront. Through the use of woodcut and screen-print, Baylor depicts the devastating effects of destructive methods through environmental harvesting, namely logging, in Wisconsin’s Northwoods.
The exhibit will be running until Jan. 8, which leaves plenty of time to stop by for a visit.
