Throwing eggshells at a painting, chewing gum and then sticking it on a sculpture, and pocketing little pieces of art while riding a big-wheeled bike inside a gallery space are not signs of mayhem and vandalism — it’s part of the fun at “Give and Take,” an exhibition that opened Feb. 7 at the Herron School of Art and Design galleries.
It won’t be too difficult to find your way to the Basile Gallery if you listen carefully. You’ll hear the lyric, “I heard there was a secret chord” hummed by Montreal-based design studio Daily Tous les Jours – and you’re invited to grab one of the microphones to hum along. As part of the art installation, which consists of microphones and speakers and a wooden half-moon sculpture for seating, you’ll be joining people around the world who are listening, in real time, to Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” You can even see how many other people across the globe are part of the “choir.”
At the Berkshire, Reese and Paul Galleries, you can compare art made by real flesh-and-bone artists to what an AI machine might generate from the same prompts the artist used. The point that living artists are far superior is made, but in the process, artist Constance Scopelitis manages to engage people with playfulness and without condescension, for far longer than she would have if the art had not employed some form of technology.
“Space Rayzers” by Jamie Pawlus, 2024. Big-wheeled bikes can be checked out at the gallery front desk. After riding, the newly-minted gang members receive a sticker to display their “Rayzer” status. Credit: Jennifer Delgadillo / Mirror Indy 
“GIVE/TAKE” by Juicy Signs, 2023, was made in collaboration with Herron Galleries. Visitors are encouraged to give a cutting from their own plant collection to share with others or take one from the artwork. Credit: Jennifer Delgadillo / Mirror Indy 
“Stamp of Approval” by Gautam Rao, 2024, invites visitors to stamp a little face on a post-it note and then add it to the marigold arch. Credit: Jennifer Delgadillo / Mirror Indy 
April Knauber’s “Blow Me” explores the shared memory of finding chewed gum under a school desk. Visitors are invited to stick their own gum on the sculpture. Credit: Jennifer Delgadillo / Mirror Indy 
“I heard there was a secret chord” by Daily tous les jours, 2017. Left to right: Ania Spyra and William Potter. Credit: Jennifer Delgadillo / Mirror Indy 
Jenny DelFuego’s “A Splash of Summer in Winter” incorporates percussion instruments that are activated when visitors throw eggshells at the canvas hanging on the wall. Credit: Jennifer Delgadillo / Mirror Indy 
Jenny DelFuego’s “A Splash of Summer in Winter” incorporates percussion instruments that are activated when visitors throw eggshells at the canvas hanging on the wall. Credit: Jennifer Delgadillo / Mirror Indy 
The late Félix González-Torres’ “Untitled” serves as a portrait of AIDS-related complications. The installation parallels the body’s deterioration from AIDS with the candy pile’s slow depletion. Credit: Jennifer Delgadillo / Mirror Indy 
Jenny DelFuego’s “A Splash of Summer in Winter” incorporates percussion instruments that are activated when visitors throw eggshells at the canvas hanging on the wall. Credit: Jennifer Delgadillo / Mirror Indy
When she was showing her work on the Miami gallery circuit, “I realized people spend five to 10 seconds with the work at the most. There was barely any time to communicate my message,” she said. “I had to find a way to engage with people, so that I could get my message across.”
Visitors are also encouraged to join the “Space Rayzers” bike gang, which can be done by riding one of six decked-out big-wheeled bikes that can be checked out at the gallery front desk. After riding, the newly minted gang members receive a sticker to display their “Rayzer” status. The interactive work is by multimedia artist Jamie Pawlus (known for Mass Ave.’s “Care/Don’t Care” sign), who collaborated with Chromatic Collective. It addresses personal events in the artist’s life that created a need for wanting to feel safe through community with others.
Jenny DelFuego’s “A Splash of Summer in Winter” is the showstopper of “Give and Take,” however. It invites visitors to grab eggshells from one of two baskets and throw them at two nearby canvases on the wall. When visitors throw the eggshells at the paintings, the small pieces fall on top of percussion instruments underneath, creating a delightful and forgiving sound — it’s not vandalism if it makes music. “May this work be playful sanctuary, a space to slow down, unwind and engage in quiet contemplation,” said DelFuego’s artist statement.
Other artists featured in this exhibition include the late Félix González-Torres, Juicy Signs, April Knauber, Júlia Sodré, and Gautam Rao. “Give and Take,” is on display through April 20.
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