COURTESY THE ARTIST AND GALERIE LELONG, NEW YORK
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., announced that presentations of a Krzysztof Wodiczko projection on the outside of its building, which it postponed following the February 14 shooting in Parkland, Florida, have been rescheduled for March 7, 8, and 9, from 7 to 9:30 p.m.
The museum and artist decided to delay the installation, which was previously slated for February 13, 14, and 15, due to its depiction of a gun. The projection was on view only the night of February 13.
“To me, the silence feels most respectful,” Wodiczko said in a statement following the postponement. “In this case, not showing the projection shows respect and sensitivity to the people who suffer from this great tragedy.”
The Hirshhorn’s decision to alter its plans for the projection received some push back. Notably, Philip Kennicott of the Washington Post wrote that “postponing it plays into a fundamental misunderstanding of how artworks like this operate, and it is an unnecessary concession to the new American troll culture.” He argued that, by displaying the work, the museum could “dramatize a choice we face, and a decision we have avoided for generations now.”
Wodiczko’s piece, which was first displayed in 1988, is three stories tall, and is being presented in conjunction with the exhibition “Brand New: Art and Commodity in the 1980s” at the Hirshhorn.