MFA Boston, reviewed by Rebecca Wnuk

A Mirror In Which We Cannot See Ourselves 
By Rebecca Wnuk

            Imagine a world of shape without shadow- a world where reflective forms inhabit a reflective space with reflective walls surrounding that space. This idea is what inspired Josiah McElheny to create Endlessly Repeating Twentieth Century Modernism, a sculpture on exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Created in 2007, the piece is a large metallic cube with a rectangular window on each side. A look into one of the windows reveals an extraordinary optical illusion: various vessels made of hand-blown mirrored glass that seem to recede back into an endless void. The cube is placed in the center of the gallery, allowing viewers to walk around it and observe all four sides. Each side is over seven feet long, and the size of the piece as well as its silvery gleam makes it an immediate attention-grabber.

            The most striking part of the sculpture is the fact that everything inside the windows is made of mirrors, yet when peering into the glass, one cannot see their own reflection. This effect creates an air of otherworldliness- a distinction between what's outside the cube and what's inside the cube. To add to this, the windows' transparent glass acts as a barrier, separating the real world from the perfectionist utopia of carefully positioned, seemingly infinite pristine vases. The flawlessness of the space is almost unbelievable; the urge arises to break the glass barrier and reach through to touch one of the vases just to make sure it's real and tangible.

            McElheny plays with depth perception, using optical trickery to fool the eye. Even though the cube is only 343 feet in volume, the vases, boxes and bottles seem to stretch on for miles, disappearing into a dark abyss. This is both intriguing and strangely unsettling: on one hand, viewers feel a wondrous curiosity about how he accomplished this aesthetic. On the other, disconcerting feelings develop when viewers realize that a visual artist created a piece that fools the eyes- the very instruments used to observe visual art.

            Endlessly Repeating Twentieth Century Modernism is a beauty with a sharp edge. Equally compelling and disquieting, it incites more questions than it gives answers. When can't our own senses be trusted? What are the parallels between the alien environment inside the cube and our own environment outside? What is it about all of the mirrors that produces a sensation of slight discomfort? While it is not guaranteed that these points of curiosity will be answered by a trip to the MFA, it is guaranteed that McElheny's sculpture will leave you thinking. And, in this case, that alone is enough.