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Michael Joo

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MICHAEL JOO'S interactive installation will be on display through Sept. 21 in the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, 121 W. Seventh Ave. Admission is $8, $7 for seniors/students/military, free for ages 17 and younger. (343-4326, anchoragemuseum.org.)

Alaskans have been known to dislike outsiders who try to tell them what to think -- unless the outsider has walked the proverbial mile in arctic boots.

New Yorker Michael Joo did better than that. He hiked a good part of the Dalton Highway. Film of Joo's trek is part of his video performance and installation at the Anchorage Museum.

Art video is hot in the big-city art world and has been for the past 20 years or so, burgeoning with modern advancements in electronics. But the genre has been relatively scarce in Alaska. Some artists have done performance pieces, but few specialize in it. Installation art, likewise, is not the choice of many creative folk in the Last Frontier. It's understandable that artists may be reluctant to focus on forms of art that are so transient and ephemeral. Such art is costly to produce and difficult to profit by.

In a reaction against objectification and commercialization of art, artists turned to producing "Happenings" in the 1960s and more sophisticated performance art in the decades following. Today, some large installations have been permanently installed in big museum settings. For smaller museums, like ours, the task would be formidable, but perhaps someday the high quality of a particular installation will demand it.

That's one reason the Joo exhibit seems fresh. The large-scale integration of technological, sculptural and performance imagery melded into contemporary art offers a viewing experience the like of which is rarely had around here.

A little preparation will help viewers understand the show. Walking in cold, visitors may miss seeing themselves starring on the flat television screens behind them as they peer into one of the cameras mounted inside the "gutted" plastic caribou.

The underlying meanings are not obvious, but the posted artist statement is lucid and helpful. Likewise, the proximity of the two components of the exhibition, "Circannual Rhythm" and "Remote Sense," may be at first confusing.

The six stylized gray plastic caribou are suspended by cables to form a graceful arch from floor to ceiling. They fill the room in an inviting arrangement that entices the viewer to peer inside each and accommodates viewers from tall to very young. The neutral gray blends with the aura of the dimly lit gallery and allows the sculpture to cohabit with, but not dominate, the three projected videos. The technical mechanisms are inconspicuous, and the overall effect is dramatic.

The art-viewing public reportedly spends only seconds with any particular work of art in a museum setting. The Joo works take more time to absorb and contemplate.

There are political, emotional, intellectual, scientific and environmental aspects to Joo's work. The art focuses on international cultural issues. His intent can be deduced but is intentionally enigmatic, allowing interpretation as well as participation by the audience.

In a recent conversation with a distinguished New York writer and art critic, I was asked if Alaska had a museum and if we had a university.

Joo is savvier than that. His work shows insight and sensitivity to local culture.

A Web check reveals an impressive body of work by the artist. Through this production he has made a significant contribution to the art of Alaska.

His offering is both visually striking and meaningful. Viewers can enjoy the installation on many levels throughout his multilayered organization. It's a great introduction to those unaccustomed to viewing art video, performance and installation. For the seasoned viewer, it's a welcome stimulus in a sometimes cold and barren land.

Don Decker is an Anchorage artist, teacher and writer.

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