Don’t Look Back: The 1990s at MOCA

Don’t Look Back: The 1990s at MOCA is composed of works from MOCA’s permanent collection, many of which have not been on view since they were originally shown and acquired. Artists include Catherine Opie, Cady Noland, Sarah Sze, and Paul McCarthy, among others. If the 1980s were shaped by the advent of identity politics, producing significant works that examined the nexus of race, gender, and sexuality, then the 1990s can be seen as having both extended and challenged these ideas. Many artists turned to large-scale, room-based installations as a way to either convey a complicated interface between the public and the museum, or to articulate the realms of overlap and dissonance in individual and public identities. The 1990s also witnessed the rise of video—particularly the use of the projected image—the result of which was a blending of avant-garde film traditions and the conventions of Hollywood production. The permanent collection at MOCA identifies the recent decade’s key concerns and transformations.