What would you see if you looked through the eyes of an artist? If you looked through Jennifer Bornstein’s eyes, you might see a photograph of a castle, an etching of caterpillars and a penciled portrait of a woman smoking, among other things.
These are a few of the pieces that make up the UCLA Hammer Museum’s current “Houseguest” exhibit, an innovative experiment that follows what happens when an artist studies the museum’s collections, then curates a show from its holdings.
“It’s a chance for (the artwork) to be exposed to visitors who may not know about the collection, and for them to see it through a great artist’s eyes,” said Allegra Pesenti, an associate curator at the Hammer Museum.
Los Angeles artist and UCLA alumna Bornstein, the first guest curator, scoured the Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts’ holdings over a period of five months and produced the current “Houseguest” exhibit (running though Sept. 14).
“In the art world today, (artists) are sort of pushed in and out of their galleries, and they never really have time to think about the curatorial side of exhibitions,” said Pesenti, who worked closely with Bornstein on the exhibit. “This is really an experiment to focus on how the exhibition is put together.”
Only after deciding that a theme would be too restrictive did Bornstein allow herself free range of subject matter. The product of this freedom is an array of 70 or so diverse pieces, ranging from prints to engravings to etchings.
“I gave myself permission to curate an exhibition that wasn’t about a specific theme but consisted of works that I thought were interesting and would work together in a room,” Bornstein said.
The exhibit, located in the Hammer’s small lobby gallery, is organized in the unique “salon style,” meaning that the pieces are placed close together on the walls and stacked on top of each other, achieving a sort of collage effect.
The featured works range from 16th century artist Albrecht Dürer’s “Small Horse” engraving, to 20th century photographer Barbara Morgan’s prints of Martha Graham.
Rembrandt van Rijn and Francisco de Goya are among the other featured artists. And while the majority of the work is black and white, there are a few large, bold-colored screen prints by Corita Kent.
“The result is that (Bornstein) really chose works freely, (pieces) that she responded to for one reason or another,” Pesenti said.
“She chose works that really told her story and her inspirations.”
“When you see the exhibition, some works sort of speak to each other. There are very unexpected juxtapositions. It’s a very unexpected conversation between the works of art. And that’s sort of the fun in it,” Pesenti said.
Aside from choosing the pieces, Bornstein also dealt with such curatorial concerns as putting together the brochure, considering the color of the walls, lighting and installation, which she admits were some of the most difficult steps of the process.
Jim Welling, a UCLA professor in the School of the Arts and Architecture who mentored Bornstein on her graduate thesis, admits that the exhibit successfully represents Bornstein as an artist, considering the diversity of mediums that she has worked with in her career.
“She is an idiosyncratic artist. She follows her inner voice and that voice has taken her on a journey that’s gone from photographs to making 16-millimeter films, and recently she’s been making etchings,” said Welling, whose own photographs are featured in Bornstein’s exhibit. “So I think her trajectory as an artist is unique.”
When reflecting on her experience at UCLA, Bornstein admits that while she was thrilled to graduate, receiving her MFA in 1996, only after leaving did she come to appreciate her time there.
“While I was a student at UCLA, it seemed everything I believed in was turned upside down. I had to reformulate my own beliefs about art-making,” she said. “Then, after I left, I was finally able to realize what a profound experience it had been. Sometimes you grow the most from the experiences that are the most difficult.”
“I can’t imagine what kind of artwork I would be making today, if I had not had the opportunity to work with such amazing artists as the ones at UCLA,” said Bornstein.
“It was an unusually energetic moment at the school … the conversations that took place, the works that were being made ““ I think that’s why it was so difficult for me to digest at the time.”
It is this UCLA background and her enthusiasm for the project ““ Pesenti calls her “a scholar in her own right” ““ that convinced the Hammer to feature Bornstein as the first “houseguest.”
“She was actually a perfect launch to the series,” said Pesenti. “She was so stimulated and involved in the project.”
On the other hand, Bornstein also stresses that one of her primary motives in participating was to further expose the Grunwald collection.
“I think many people aren’t familiar with the Grunwald collection as a resource that’s open to the public,” said Bornstein.
“Anyone can go to the Grunwald and sort through boxes of works, just as I did.”
In Bornstein’s personal statement in the exhibit’s brochure, she describes the Grunwald as “a melting pot where old masters and the creations of hobbyists can mix with equal importance.”
If the “Houseguest” is indeed an experiment and Bornstein the guinea pig, according to Welling, it is a success.
“A lot of times, curators don’t really show you their personality,” said Welling. “And I think that’s one of the nice things about the show. … You see the curator as well as the art.”