Roombas scattering hot pink glitter take stage at Asian Art Museum

"Eight spinning robot vacuums near the beginning of the Asian Art Museum's latest exhibition end up spraying around more of the hot pink glitter than they clean up. That's the point of the piece "Puff Out" by :MentalKLINIK. "If they want to rest, they rest," said Naz Cuguoğlu, the museum's assistant curator of contemporary art. "And if they want to party, they party." The same might be said for visitors to the dance-centric "Rave into the Future: Art in Motion," opening Friday, October 24."

"The exhibition, which Cuguoğlu curated and called a "love letter to the dance floor," is constructed around nine stages that mimic the experience of going to a rave (the Roombas are part of the after-party). "Everything that happens in a night out happens in this exhibition space," she said. The curation was a deeply personal journey for Turkish-born Cuguoğlu, who chose to feature exclusively women and queer artists from West Asia and included playlists from her personal music collection."

Nine stages recreate a rave environment, featuring interactive works like eight spinning robot vacuums that spray hot-pink glitter and an after-party. The exhibition centers women and queer artists from West Asia and includes personal playlists. A 100-foot copper dance stage collects scuffs and imprints from visitors, functioning as a living work of memory and change; wireless headphones are provided. The copper floor references healing and the dance floor's therapeutic capacity. Multiple resting areas with oversized bean bags accompany video works offering queer perspectives. The exhibition opens under new museum leadership and reframes museum visits as participatory, embodied experiences.

Read at Mission Local