Jim Isermann's Untitled (0205), 2005

When in Chicago a few weeks ago I took in Jim Isermann's Untitled (0205) at the excellent Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA). Situated in the lobby on massive white walls the faceted white panels play with light and space, the two most common aspects of experience art.

I've seen a lot of Isermanns and I always enjoy them, but somehow this one struck a slightly different but good chord, it was like a visual iceberg. It is bit colder and as uniform as a Sol Lewitt, but soo different in effect because I kept thinking about Rem Koolhaas' buildings and their use of disorientation to heighten the viewer's level of perceptual engagement.

One could just say, "you had to be there," for most of these kinds of installations but I think there is a greater need for this sort of space that presents physical questions. These days museum lobbies seem to host a lot of the most interesting work. For me it's like a little ginger to cleanse the palette before more sushi. The process of getting prepared to look at work is an interesting subject in itself for art and for those that think that minimalist (is it even abstraction, or simply refined forms?) is a rejection of engagement with the world couldn't be more wrong.