Luis Maldonado "It's All About Things" critique

Upon entering Luis Maldonado’s “It’s All About Things” branch “Barter Days”, at Chicago’s Three-Walls Gallery, the viewer, although you can hardly call him that he really is more of a potential collector, is cheerily greeted by the artist himself who is in the role of the auctioneer. Passing through the doorway the visitor finds himself in a compartmentalized space that hardly resembles an art gallery, but that is precisely the point. Instead the space is divided in parts based on a real auction house. “The point behind these galleries is to act as how rooms for “things” which are later exchanged for within the store.”[1] First one enters the auction floor where all of the collectors’ items, i.e. Maldonado’s artwork, are displayed for the newly arrived collector. It is also here where the artist wanders, microphone in hand, emceeing the event, pointing out important spaces to the visitor and alerting them to the “things” available for barter. To the left is the Lounge with magazines and seating available where Maldonado offers refreshments in the form of wine and water as any auction house would. Directly to the right is the Private Viewing Room where a potential collector can view their “thing” of choice independent of the countless other “things” available. In the back corner the “Barters Received Research Center” displays the objects that Maldonado has received through bartering with past visitors complete with description and display instructions.

The process seems simple; the visitor finds a “thing” that they want and barters what they have to offer to Maldonado for it. As banal as a trade may seem, being involved in this process is exactly what gets to the heart of the artist’s intention and reveals the underlying signification of “Barter Days”. It is about a person’s interaction with “things”. This is apparent as the visitor enters the auction floor and is confronted with a plethora of dioramas, paintings, and drawings, which quickly becomes disorienting making it difficult to filter all the information that the eyes are receiving. There is a conglomeration of everything from tasteful abstract painting, to serene landscapes, to seasonal paintings and political drawings all displayed in close proximity to each other, thereby clouding meaning. But this does not pose a problem because the show is not about individual works. Once the decision is made to barter the confusion seems to somewhat dissapate, and now it becomes a hunt for the perfect item to add to your collection. This is another simple task raising deeper issues. Now the thought goes towards the “concept of the … value systems put on objects”[2].

We are very used to the monetary value of the “thing”, but how can the exchange value of that same “thing” be determined in terms of the seemingly random objects we have brought in to trade? Most of us go into a gallery knowing we do not have the means to become a collector, but how do we react when the art is within our reach? It turns out that the value of what the collector has put on the table is determined more by sentimental value and the story accompanying it than by any aesthetic standards, which is somewhat a result of the types of object that visitors were bringing in[3]. In fact upon being presented with the items that my sister had to barter with, he insisted upon hearing the origin and stories behind each object to help him decided their worth within his auction house. Don’t worry if you did not think ahead and bring something with you, there is also the option of trading a live karaoke performance, which is videotaped, for one of the “things” on the auction floor, provided that it is deemed worthy by the auctioneer. Luis Maldonado “wants to illustrate that art can be accessible to all and make a statement on the attitude of exclusivity and status that dominates the art market”[4] and I found him to reach his goal with “Barter Days”.

It is as though Maldonado becomes the art market, the entity that determines what is considered good, or more accurately creates his own art world with new rules and norms. Within this world the average Joe who is not part of that exclusive, elite group of buyers and critics is invited to join and participate[5]. An interesting shift in the common interaction between an artist and a visitor occurs because usually it is the visitor who determines whether they find what is on display to be good and the artist is the one who is being judged. Another reversal of the concept of the gallery occurs through the dual roles that both Maldonado and the participant play in this transaction, that of both artist and collector. This is because when an exchange is accepted by Maldonado, he collects the items that were given to him in exchange for the art that he made as the artist, thereby making him play both roles. In return the visitor becomes a collector through their acquisition of Maldonado’s work, but also becomes the artist because ultimately what was given to Luis will be placed in a permanent collection that will later be shown as works of art in another gallery.

I find this process very effective in providing a reversal of roles within the viewing and buying of art. It is unlike any typical art show and definitely makes you think about how art is valued and how you relate to it. Through the bartering process I discovered in myself a hesitancy to assume that what my sister and I were attempting to exchange for a painting was enough or worth enough to convince Maldonado to accept the trade. I thought about what I was looking at in a different way than I would look at a Picasso that I could never even touch, let alone own, unless I wanted a ride in a police car. It oddly created a sort of anxiety due to the knowledge that what we gave him would be considered art in the future and the fear of insulting him with the idea that a squishy tooth from an ex-boyfriend and the Shakespeare charm broken off of a keychain from Stratford-upon-Avon were worthy of his collection. This is why I was very surprised to hear that Luis had once been offered someone’s dirty socks and other sorts of “trash” by previous visitors. Although it seems to me that these might be the people that didn’t quite understand the aim of the project. This anxiety is quickly lifted when we discovered that these objects had enough of a background and were acceptable. To me this was where Maldonado’s intention became very clear. Although we did not have the monetary means to become collectors of art, we could still be a part of this exclusive club, even if only within this specific art world.

I was also very interested by the three interdependent elements of “Barter Days”, namely the artist, the audience, and the “things”. Without any one of these elements, this show could not have existed, or more precisely could not have been experienced as it was meant to be. One could walk in and look at the “things” interpreting them as they would the aforementioned Picasso and read the provided artist statement and know what the show was meant to be, but until it is fully experienced it cannot be completely comprehended. Within these elements an extensive dialogue is necessary for the three to work together. These features of the show make me view it as a performance piece based not on the “things” being bartered, but on the interaction and the event. This is apparent from the initial introduction to the space by Luis as he paces the auction floor with a microphone that is wholly unnecessary in a space so small, to the story telling that accompanies the negotiation, to the final handshake and photograph that is taken commemorating the exchange. This whole process also interests me because it introduces a relatively unknown element to the gallery: the personal and comfortable relationship between the buyer and the artist. It seems as though usually a very impersonal relationship exists in such cases even if an interaction occurs. This leaves the involved visitor with an extra sense of investment in Luis Maldonado’s project, which I believe to be important to the ultimate message behind the project: we can all play a part in the art world. I left with not only a new experience but also a feeling that I was now involved in the art market beyond the position as a passive viewer.

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[1] Maldonado, Luis R. “It’s All About Things” Artist Statement.

[2] Maldonado.

[3] Stabler, Bert. “Giving it All Away.” The Chicago Reader. March 21, 2007.

[4] Vogt, Jenifer. “It’s All About Things.” The Scarsdale Inquirer; p. 15.

[5] Vogt 17.