While I'm at it...

I spent the weekend taking in a wide range of art forms (you know, BSG, paintings, sculptures, board game-playing strategies, etc).  An unexpected highlight was hitting up the 30 Americans* exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.  This quote really resonated with me, and in particular, related to my previous thoughts on art:

That's why I like doing stuff better on the street, because art becomes just one of the objects that's in your everyday existence.  It's what you move through and it doesn't have superiority over anything else. 
 -David Hammons

Here are some of the pieces that really stuck with me:

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Bird On Money, 1981. Acrylic and oil on canvas, 66 x 90 inches. Courtesy of Rubell Family Collection, Miami.

Hank Willis Thomas, Basketball and Chain, 2003. Digital C-print, 99 x 55 inches. Courtesy of Rubell Family Collection, Miami.

Gary Simmons
Duck, Duck, Noose, 1992
Wood, cloth, metal and hemp
Dimensions variable

* The 30 Americans exhibit focuses on issues of racial, sexual, and historical identity in contemporary culture. It explores how each artist reckons with the notion of black identity in America, navigating such concerns as the struggle for civil rights, popular culture, and media imagery. At the same time, it highlights artistic legacy and influence, tracing subject matter and formal strategies across generations.  The exhibit is on display at The Corcoran Gallery of Art through February 12, 2012.  (Description taken directly from the exhibit's website.)