During my recent foray into the campus of the University of Panama, I saw several objects that were deliberately placed there in an effort to display works of art. After looking at some of these objects for some time, I just couldn’t appreciate the art in them. To my plain and uneducated eye, they were just a mix of junk waiting for the garbage truck to arrive. I know this statement is not fair to the creators of these artworks. As you know beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.
You be the judge in the following examples art which I found lying around the University of Panama campus. Here we go.
Photograph of a monument built to honor the cofounder of the University of Panama, Octavio Méndez Pereira. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
A nationalistic statue depicting two students demonstrating against the presence of the United States in the former Panama Canal Zone. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Photograph of a strange mix of metallic objects trying to convey a message I just couldn't understand. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
A closer look at the rusty piece of artwork at the University of Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
The old tire seems completely out of place in this mix of objects. Is this art? Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
I know that appreciating art is very personal and subjective. Tried as I did, I couldn’t find the artistic value of this old tire mixed with several pieces of rusty metallic objects. Maybe in this particular case, art is only an illusion of the mind. Good Day.
