Annette Messager Reviewed by Eric Kim

For the past few weeks, the National Museum of Contemporary Art housed various pieces by the famous artist, Annette Messager. It seems to me that Annette Messager is the type of artist who focuses more on the depth and the meaning behind her artworks, how they can be interpreted, etc. over the quality of her work in terms of aesthetic beauty. Of course, this does not, in any way, mean that Messager’s work is ugly. While to a young child, many of her works may not make sense and may resemble a big mess created by throwing random objects around, there is a lot more behind Messager’s works than its somewhat arguable physical attractiveness.
The true beauty within Messager’s pieces lie within its meaning, which is at times implicit and thus is given a greater breadth for interpretation by the viewer.
According to research, much of Messager’s work is based on issues that concern her, or women in general. Messager also incorporates many different kinds of techniques and materials in her work, and many of the materials that go within her work are made by herself as well.
Because Messager leaves so much room for interpretation in her work, she is unlike many other famous, historical artists. Famous artists like Da Vinci and his works mainly focused on the realistic nature and the aesthetic quality of their work, which often times costs its meaning and leeway for interpretation.

Messager’s show was a decent one, but I would not say it was strikingly good. Of course, preference and style in art is quite subjective, and I cannot say that the rating I have given is not subjective. Yet, I will try to present my rationale in the most objective manner possible.
Messager’s work is interesting in the sense that a lot of thought can be derived from it, and is very meaningful and thought-inducing. Yet, much of this comes at the cost of the pieces’ physical beauty and aesthetic quality. Not many of her works are particularly “pleasing” to look at, and to some viewers whose value for aesthetic quality supersedes their value for meaning, her works may not seem very great. Nevertheless, Messager’s works does include a lot of artistic qualities to it. Messager seems to be adept at utilizing space and balance within her work, both of these qualities being used in different manners to different extents in her pieces. The use of space and balance plays a large role in conveying the meaning and significance behind her work, at times making it more explicit, making it more powerful, and sometimes even creates the meaning as a whole.
One thing that has left me thinking as I left the show was the museum’s presentation of Messager’s work. Because the National Museum of Contemporary Art is a very spacious museum, many of Messager’s pieces were displayed in large spaces, which may or may not have had an impact on how her works could have been taken. So I sit here now wondering just what kind of impact the museum’s presentation of her work could have had on viewers like me, whether it enhanced the experience or undermined other potential ways the pieces could have been looked at.
Overall, the show held at the National Museum of Contemporary Art was quite thought-compelling, to say the least. The show was interesting conceptually, though it could have looked better aesthetically. It’s definitely something a curious artist should check out, and for the cheap entrance fee, it’s really a bargain you wouldn’t want to miss.