#mitgetart

[mitlistvisualartscenter]

[INSTAGRAM CONTEST]

We asked MIT students to send us their best “art selfie” to celebrate the new additions to their living spaces following the 2015-16 Student Loan Art Program. Here are the winners!

Grand Prize Winner: Prerna Sekhri (@prernee) with Untitled by Kai Althoff

Prerna shared: “I was hesitating to choose this Untitled Kai Altoff silkscreen because even though it is playful and humorous, the subjects in it can be quite disturbing. But I kept coming back to it after multiple rounds of the gallery, and finally gave in to the hold it had on me. I'm so happy to have it! The Art Loan program is seriously the best thing about MIT!”

[mitlistvisualartscenter]

[INSTAGRAM CONTEST]

We asked MIT students to send us their best “art selfie” to celebrate the new additions to their living spaces following the 2015-16 Student Loan Art Program. Here are the winners!

Third Place: Raphael Schaad (@raphaelschaad) with Untitled by Fischli/Weiss. 

[mitlistvisualartscenter]

Artful Chatter with Alpha Arsano

What are you doing here at MIT?

I’m a new student here from Ethiopia, in SMArchS.

If you could pick any artist from the galleries to spend the day with, who would it be?

There’s so many works, and they’re so diverse! But this one [Double Self-Portrait by Jeff Wall]: I just looked at it and asked myself, what's happening there? They’re posing, I can't really tell about the time, I know it’s not from this time… The house is really weird; it’s kind of empty, but its not really empty. It like there is this kind of dialogue and I find it a little bit intriguing. Both guys are similar! It’s really weird; that attracted my eye. Is that the artist?

It’s called Double Self-Portrait, so it is! So this is what you would get if you hung out with that artist. What would you ask him about?

I would probably ask him what he was thinking about, ask what’s going in his head, why are there two of you? It would be interesting to discover through his thinking and his mind.

[mitlistvisualartscenter]

Artful Chatter with Alex Turner

What are you doing here at MIT?

I’m an undergraduate studying chemistry and computer science. I’m a sophomore.

Is this your first year participating in the lottery?

Yes! I’m very excited.

Which work in the collection is calling out to you and why?

Low Sun by Jack Bush, but I’m not sure why. I think the colors are very evocative and bright, but there’s just something about the primary colors that really call out. It’s really simple and abstract and yet it seems to capture me a little bit. 

If you could eat any of these works for lunch, what work you pick to eat and why?

I suppose the obvious answer would be something to do with food! But, I keep going back to Low Sun, again. It might just be because I keep thinking about it, rather than it tasting good, but it’s just really, really bright and I guess that might transfer to it being flavorful!

[mitlistvisualartscenter]

Artful Chatter with Stephen Lam

What are you doing here at MIT?

I am doing nuclear science and engineering.

If you could take any artwork in this room on a date with you, which would it be?

I like the Coca Cola one [Lenin Coca Cola by Alexander Kosolapov]. Well, I enjoy looking at it! I’m not an art person so I can’t really speak to what the image says, but I like what I see. It’s just interesting.

Which would you pick to show your grandfather, which would it be?

I would choose that one, with all the lasers [Placing the target inside Nova, the world’s most powerful laser by Barbara Norfleet]. I work with lasers at MIT. My grandfather doesn’t, so I would show him to show that's what I do.

[mitlistvisualartscenter]

Artful Chatter with Ryan and Sarah Hill

What are you doing here at MIT?

RH: I’m a second year in my PhD in Economics, and Sarah is my wife.

What brought you here today?

SH: Me! I did my undergraduate in photography, and I heard about this program two years ago, and was really looking forward to it. Last year we got a Berenice Abbott. I was so excited to come back this year!

If you could eat any work in this gallery, what would it be and why?

RH: That’s kind of an abstract question…

SH: There’s a lot of works that are sharp and jarring, so I wouldn’t want to eat those.

RH: We’ve always liked that one [TWA Terminal Interior by Ezra Stoller]—

SH: The symmetry and composition is just so perfect. It would make a beautiful meal. Everything’s in harmony. 

RH: It’s well plated.

[mitlistvisualartscenter]

Artful Chatter with Chibueze

What are you doing here at MIT?

I’m a PhD student in Chemical Engineering.

If you could pick any artist from the galleries to spend the day with, who would it be?

There’s a piece by Jules Aarons [called Untitled (Boston)], of a girl staring. I would like to know about her story, why she’s staring; she looks confused, tired… There’s something about her eyes. It would be good to know the setting, or her relationship to the artist. Also, about the articles on the right: they’re special. They all seem too mature for the girl standing next to them.

[mitlistvisualartscenter]

Artful Chatter with Michael Robertson

What are you doing here at MIT?

I’m starting the MBA program at Sloan.

Are there any pieces that have called out to you most?

Two actually! One is Shit-Kicker by Marilyn Minter. I just think it’s so funny and so intense. I think the first time I saw it actually made me laugh at loud, so I had a connection with it.

The other one is Luis by Gregg Evans. It’s a really interesting piece to look at. There’s a lot of little details you can appreciate as you get close. If had to choose just one to be in my room, I’d pick that one because I’d have lots of time to explore it.

If you could take any of these works out on a date, which piece would you pick and why?

It would have to be All The Lava Fields In Iceland by Roni Horn. There’s a lot to know. I can’t just walk past like, “Oh, I get it.” It’s kind of impenetrable to the passerby, and that piques my interest.