a walk through the museo de diseno
although I lived in Costa Rica for 7 months back in 2017, I never took the time to explore a huge cultural hub of the country; San Jose - the capital city of Costa Rica. On a recent trip back to see one of our best friend’s get married, Jory (my husband!) and I made sure to put time aside to explore before headed down to Playa Dominical. After flying into the Juan Santamaria Airport, our cousin, Lexi, who lives in the Alajuela Province nearby, picked us up to spend a few nights at her home on a local farm.
The next morning, Lexi and her partner, Marco, made us some delicious gallo pinto and pineapple smoothies. With the kitchen window open, the sunshine and breeze welcomed us into this new domain after a long day of traveling.
With a full night’s sleep behind us, and bellies full, the four of us headed into San Jose’s center to grab coffee, shop around one of the malls in hopes of finding a wedding outfit for later in the week, and finally, arrived at one of my dream destinations: Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo also known as MADC.
I love art museums. I love seeing different styles of art all at once, so thoughtfully displaced and displayed throughout the space. I love the idea that someone painstakingly plans every inch of wall space, with the goal to capture the observer for long enough to allow them to understand what the artist was trying to say with their art.
These little behind-the-scenes decisions have resounding impact on how we, the visual consumer, experience the museum/gallery. I’ve always been intrigued with the science of it all — setting this piece just so at this perfect height so that the viewer lingers a little longer and let’s the art change them, on some level.
The first room upon entering the museum was an exhibition created by a Costa Rican artist named Tomo77. As stated on his website “his work often explores themes of human behavior, capitalism, and pop culture in an immigrant’s context.” His current exhibit at MADC is called “PANDEMICO PROJECT” and features “stark depictions of a tumultuous and changing social and racial landscape, entwined with symbolism reminiscent of the middle ages.” The vibrant reds and high contrast black/white triangles caught our attention. The individual pieces were supe complex, detailed and provocative. We wondered around the exhibit, discovering that there were several types of media and methods used to create this collection, which has now been turned into a book.
This mix of both media and method can be seen throughout the museum. From ceramic to yarn, books full of art history and even branding projects for beer companies, the contemporary collection was both vast and compelling.
If I have one complaint on our MADC experience, it would be that all the printed works (ie. books and magazines) were not allowed to be touched, opened, or handled. Possibly a policy hanging on from the days of the pandemic, but disappointing for those of us wanting to dive deeper into what the museum had on display.
The final room featured around 10 pieces all focused around AI (artificial intelligence) and posed questions and reflections on how AI will affect the art industry going forward. Lexi was enthralled by one particular work, “El Fenómeno de la conciencia es más grande ques los fenómenos del intelecto.” This digital art had a very strong warm energy, and draws the eye from across the room. The artist, Germán Locarno, wrote a small description of the art, found on the placard next to the large-scale print. His concept, essentially, is that our consciousness is boundlessly more intelligent than any machine could ever be.
I agree with him. The AI debate is fiery in every industry right now, but especially within design. However, there will always be a layer of consciousness that makes humanness both unique and a strength when it comes to the arts.
I highly recommend visiting the MADC if you ever have the chance. The museum features work from artists worldwide and has different exhibitions that change out each season.
