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Exhibition Spotlight—Touch in Out of Sight! Art of the Senses

December 13, 2017

Installation view of Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s "Untitled" (Water), 1995. Strands of beads and hanging device, dimensions variable. The Baltimore Museum of Art: Purchase with exchange funds from Bequest of Saidie A. May, BMA 1995.73. © The Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation. Photograph by Kevin Bohner.

The works of art in Out of Sight! Art of the Senses feature elements that invite us not only to look but also to listen, smell, touch, and even taste. Here on the blog, we’re taking a closer look at some of the more unusual sensory experiences you can expect in the exhibition.

Installation view of Ronald Ventura’s Carousel, 2016. Revolving carousel sculpture with metal parts, motor, fiberglass figures, and sound speakers, 197 x 146 inches (500 x 370 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Tyler Rollins Fine Art. Photograph by Kevin Bohner.

As visitors, one of the first rules we learn upon arriving at an art museum is that works of art must not be touched. In this exhibition, selected objects have been created by artists to be touched. For instance, you will need to part the strings of beads in Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s "Untitled" (Water) in order to enter the exhibition. Ronald Ventura’s Carousel is an incredible kinetic sculpture. You are invited to climb on and take photographs with the creatures—fantastical embodiments of characters from Philippine mythology—or watch it spin.