Rotterdam
Maybe it is a good idea to fill a museum with 45 life-like sculptures of clowns supplemented by colorful, rainbow-inspired and cartoon-like works—or maybe not. In any event, Ugo Rondinone chose to do just this in his recent exhibition, “Vocabulary of Solitude,” which also doubled as a retrospective of his color spectrum works. This was one of the weirdest art experiences I’ve had in some time, prompting a PTSD-like reaction similar to those I had in response to the 1980s horror films of my youth. Would any of these creepy clowns come to life like the demonic Chucky in Child’s Play (1988)? Personal reaction was anticipated in the exhibition press release, which described the works as “prompt[ing] free association and memories.” Other viewers appeared less unnerved…see the entire review in the print version of November’s Sculpture magazine.
