Wall Labels Often Confuse Viewers, Experts Say

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Museum wall labels frequently fall short of their purpose, confusing rather than clarifying for audiences, according to experts in art interpretation. This ongoing issue, which dates back to at least 1916, appears particularly pronounced at major biennials and contemporary art exhibitions in large institutions.

Underlying Problems with Exhibition Texts

Benjamin Ives Gilman highlighted the“label question” in his 1916 essay“Museum Fatigue,” and Tom Wolfe critiqued poor exhibition texts in his 1970s polemic The Painted Word. More recently, Aruna D'Souza also addressed the topic. Despite this long history of complaints, the problem persists, prompting one reader to specifically request continued criticism of wall texts due to their“consistently poor” quality.

Katherine Whitney, an expert on museum labels who contributed to Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach by Beverly Serrell, noted a“crisis of wall labels.” She attributes the issue to texts not being written“with those who are reading them in mind.” Whitney emphasized,“You really have to start with the question, 'Who is the visitor?'” Often, texts are inadvertently crafted for two distinct audiences simultaneously, the general public and art experts, leading to jargon-filled, unclear writing. This dichotomy is most evident in major art centers where specialists gather.

An example cited from the“Greater New York” exhibition at MoMA PS1 included a label for Marc Kokopeli's video sculptures, which referenced the“long durée of booms and busts.” Another, for Marie Angeletti's slideshow, used the term“jouissance” to explain how the artist“uses the possibilities of jouissance to unsettle stereotypical roles of artist and laborer, voyeur and subject.” While these terms have specific academic meanings, their use in wall texts can create mystique rather than clarity, alienating visitors by implying the art is“for smart people.”

Sara Bodinson, director of Interpretation, Research, and Digital Learning at MoMA, stated that visitors“don't want someone telling them that this artwork is the best or that this is how you should feel about it.” She explained that prescriptive texts can provoke rebellion from viewers who prefer to form their own opinions.

Wall texts can also suffer from excessive information. A label for artist Louis Osmosis at“Greater New York” described his practice and the meaning of his works before clarifying what the sculptures actually are, making it difficult for a visitor to answer the basic question,“What is this?” Whitney reiterated that“The label is its own medium. It is not a book on the wall. It's not an article in a journal.” She explained that on their feet in a gallery, visitors cannot process the same amount of information as they might at home. More focused texts lead to increased engagement with both the labels and the art itself.

Problems with labeling are particularly prevalent at biennials, where curators often select artists based on their broader practice, leading to texts that blend artist biographies, work explanations, and general statements about art's importance in an unclear manner. This can leave viewers unsure of the primary subject of the text.

Source: Artnet News

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