Frost Museum. A Room of One’s Own

From Sep 15th through Dec 10th, 2006A Room of One’s Own: Teresita Fernández, María Elena González, Quisqueya Henríquez and María Martínez-Cañas, opened at the Frost Art Museum on September 15th. The exhibition has brought together the installation works of four female artists whose works deal with the notion that have traditionally defined the use of the exhibition space as an art form. One significant element of the exhibition is that each of the artists have their own “room”, their “respective space” where to create their installations. The “space” as a medium is not always treated properly in our local openings and we rarely get to see a good example of a nice installation – there are exceptions of course – but sadly, what predominates in our local openings is the “miss use” of objects and exhibition spaces altogether when exhibiting spatial works. When working with installations, as in any medium, it is necessary a complete understanding of its language. Installations are all about the space that contains the artwork, and that consequently will contain the viewer. The “message” is the space containing the different elements that make the artwork. The curators of A Room of One’s Own, in a clear gesture towards the architecture of the exhibition space – or perhaps with the purpose of integrating it to the structure of the exhibition as a whole -, have acknowledged the importance of the works functioning independently one from the other. So, the Frost Museum is presenting four different exhibitions at the same time, but not really. Another significant element about A Room of One’s Own is that the four artists selected are female artists. The name of the exhibition is inspired on a book by Virginia Wolf where the author addresses the necessary conditions for women to produce art in contemporary society. The exhibition stands out for their direct relationship that establishes between the works of these four women and the “institution” that is hosting their works. Teresita Fernández, María Elena González, Quisqueya Henríquez and María Martínez-Cañas are contemporary women working with one of the most difficult mediums in contemporary art, and yet, they have succeeded in accomplishing international recognition. As Virginia Wolf’s book focuses on space and money as the transcendental factors for women to create art, the Frost Art Museum has made possible for these artists to come together in a show and has provided them with a privileged exhibition space for presenting their work. The museum will also host a panel discussion with the artists on October 11th, 2006. For more information please call: 305.348.2890