Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Francesca and Her Oyster

Review by Franchesca Kiesling

3/12/14 

    

        The MFA in Boston is culture defined. They have hundreds, maybe thousands of pieces of artwork and are so readily available to people in Boston. Hours can be spent wandering the halls of the MFA and still, not everything can be seen. The contemporary section was by far the most peculiar though. From an enormous ceiling piece made from paper cups to a “BLESS YOU TACO BELL” neon sign, some serious time and serious interpretation can go on within your mind.

Within the contemporary section, Daniela Edburg’s Parasites and Perishables exhibit was From the series Parasites and Perishables by Daniela Edburg, twenty different people both male to female ranging from young to old hold random objects in their hands and pose for a photograph. This series makes fun of the older, more classical portraits of people that took several hours to paint in the Renaissance Era. These fictitious characters in the photographs that were taken in Italy and Mexico in 2011 and 2012, all have the same desire as the rest of mankind; to have their name remembered in future generations. From Frank and the Brain, Andrea and Her Leeches, and Stefano and the Spanish Sausage all of them hold an item that can go bad or perish in time.

As the collection is titled, the perishables refer the item, but in a manner that is also making fun of the Renaissance people, the Parasite is referring to the people. Parasites are things that latch on to other things and suck the life out of them for the parasites own benefit. The people in the photos latch on to the idea that their name and face must be remembered through time and therefore are parasitic in terms of latching to a painter for their own benefit in history. Renaissance era people were never smiling because of the amount of time it took to paint the portrait, so Daniela Edburg took that detail and used it in her own photographs as well.

Maybe it was the close relation through names that drew me at first, it was the sheer humor and genius of the whole collection that kept me there. Why hasn’t anyone thought of this idea before? So tremendously funny, you can’t help but see what all the fuss is about. Go to the MFA and witness the genuine cultures of history through the eras and even the pieces making fun of others. The MFA is worth it for all ages if you have not been before. They are very hesitant with school groups so it is recommended to look and act older when you go otherwise you have to follow the strict rule of always being within site of your chaperone.