‘Unexpected’ art piece steals the show

Eight women, veiled and dressed in black, unexpected and uninvited, bringing performance art to the hallowed halls of SFMOMA and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. For artist Marsha Klein, staging her original walking art piece was the culmination of a series of performances 10 years in the making.

The concept for “Abandoned Art – An Unexpected Performance Piece” originated over a decade ago. Faced with the frustration involved in the search for mainstream exposure for her artwork, Klein said, “It seemed to me that if one couldn’t get ‘decent’ exposure, then ‘indecent’ exposure would be the alternative.”

This translated into the idea of abandoning her art in museums, at least as part of a formal exhibition. The veiled, mysterious figures, which appear randomly and without notice, “bring attention to the issue of lack of visibility for most artists.”

In the performance piece, each woman carries her own “Ribcage Shields of Dreams.” These shields are made of handmade paper embedded with drawings and text from dreams, stretched over wire ribcage forms. “This performance piece is about being seen or not seen, ironically using something as vulnerable as paper and dreams for body armor,” Klein said.

As for the reaction to the May 11 pop-up performance, Klein said, “People stopped and watched, surprised, intrigued, visually stimulated.”

She said her prevalent experience as during the performance was as if she were in a dream. “Perhaps it was the veil obscuring and altering my vision, or maybe the nature of finally accomplishing something that was a long time in the making.”

Photos by Charles M. Illgen