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From the dawn of Modernism into the beginnings of conceptual art, and onto the contemporary era of the new millennium, art has made the concept of “love”, and what it means to give and receive that love, an object of obsession. What We Call Love, the new exhibition currently showing at IMMA, aims to explore how the idea of love has transformed throughout the last century, and what a relationship now means in a time of rising individualisation.
The exhibition, which is spread out across the East Wing Galleries, The South Ground and the Courtyard, deals with the idea of “Love” in chronological order, beginning with the likes of Picasso’s Le Baiser, Dali’s Couple with their Heads Full of Clouds, and Duchamp’s Mr. and Mrs. Wooden. The early Modernist theme of L’amour Fou (crazy love) gives way to explorations of the contemporary relationship in the latter days of the 20th century.
Throughout the bright halls of the East Wing Galleries, the dynamics of the relationship are dissected, with the ideas of trust and forgiveness forming the primary concern. Pieces such as Rebecca Horne’s installation High Moon and Marina Abramovic’s Rest Energy explore these themes through the metaphor of weaponry. Carolee Scheeman’s photo series Infi nity Kisses II analyses the platonic love existing within a human-animal relationship. Into contemporary times, the capacity of love to harm is realised through pieces such as Damien Hirst’s I’ll Love You Forever and Dorothy Cross’ taxidermy sculpture Lover Snakes. In a darkened room diverging off from the main gallery space, the relationship between neuroscience and art is displayed in Jeremy Shaw’s Transcendental Capacity, which showed the brain-scans of people listening to popular love songs.
A highly enjoyable exhibition, with an incredibly diverse selection of work, What We Call Love is a triumph. The show provides a unique, provocative experience that takes you on a tour throughout the century before asking the audience the pivotal question: “What is love?” So whether you prefer the Picasso’s, or have a penchant for anything Andy Warhol, take a trip up to IMMA and decide for yourself what exactly it is that we call love.
