America’s obsession with materialism and the demand for what is “better” and “new” is evident in the exhibit, Life on Mars. The artist must portray this modern culture by duplicating what is real. Throughout the exhibit the theme of consumerism was displayed. The demand for “the real thing” and more of it was a common theme (7). For example, in Thomas Hirschhorn’s Cavemanman, he interprets his ideas of politics and American materialism by creating his own literal cave that celebrates and preserves modern culture. As Umberto Eco writes, “the past must be preserved and celebrated in full-scale authentic copy” (6). By recreating the replica of something, one is able to fully appreciate and observe it in its entirety. Eco also remarked on how the environment an artwork is observed in could change the context of how it is interpreted (4). For example, the foreign artists that participated in this exhibit may have interpreted the meaning of Life on Mars differently than a viewer from America may have. This could be because they have a broader sense of the world. As a viewer, I personally tend to be closed minded when it comes to how I view the world around me. One must remember that although others analysis of something may be different than theirs; it does not mean its wrong.
Eco, Umberto. Travels in Hyperreality: Essays. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1986. 4-7.
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