By Brian Nguyen
A Moment’s Pleasure is an immersive two-story installation in the Baltimore Museum of Art that is reflective of Mickalene Thomas’ signature aesthetic, a living room referencing a 1970’s and 1980’s Black family’s home. Thomas is best known as a contemporary African-American visual artist who is inspired by popular art histories and movements. The presentation of the furniture and household items helps stage a location for where a scene could take place. I felt like this was the reason I was drawn in by it so much as a cinematic arts major, it’s as if the installation was a stage for a play or show, laying the foundation for us to fill the space with our own imaginative scene.
Mickalene Thomas has transformed the architecture of the museum to evoke a sort of domestic cool of the time period. As a New York-based artist, the piece most definitely has a New York-inspired architecture and set design. With 1970s apartment-sized furnishing and décor, it really does feel like a small living room that could be lived in. I found it interesting to see how she uses familiar objects to evoke different reactions from people based on their semiotic association with them. For example; the ordinary form of a couch and the placement of it within the space, the couch could be seen as: a monumental vinyl photo collage of different fabrics, an object in a staged scene, a place of union for family members, or just furniture for lounging. We all have a different history and association with these objects that allows us to create scenes for us to project onto the set. The staging of all the items also feels alive and lived in, with subtle things like shoes on the ground and pictures hung up on the wall. Although Thomas is best known for her elaborate paintings, this piece is still able to inherit her playful attitude towards the illusion of reality. Even the furniture has a complex quilt-like pattern, bursting with color and texture which is stitched into the fabric giving them a painterly vibe.
Being one of the most expansive commission undertaken by both the artist and BMA, the installation extends onto the enclosed terrace with a presentation of works by local Baltimore artists. As one of the first things you encounter as you leave the lobby towards the upper floors, it is almost ironic that exhibition plaque itself describes it as “an immersive experience,” even though it is behind a glass barrier which prevents us from getting any kind of detailed look. I feel it is a shame that we are not allowed to interact with the piece, forcing us to mentally come up with scenarios for what the setting could hold but never really living it out ourselves. I believe this takes out the fun of presenting it as a set or stage representative of a place for people to interact in. The fact that the piece as a whole is one of the larger works in the museum, the glass barrier hinders our ability to enjoy the details of the piece by forcing us to view it from afar.
Mickalene Thomas’ A Moment’s Pleasure is a masterpiece in set design, truly evoking the 1970’s and 1980’s domestic lifestyle of the period. I found it to be extremely thought-provoking in the sense of restorative possibilities. Yet, the piece leaves me desiring to explore it more, to become more immersed in it and actually put myself into those imaginative scenes. To truly familiarize ourselves with the 1970’s/1980’s experience, and make the space our own.
