Argentina-born artist Liliana Porter’s provocative arrangements of objects and toys tell stories that are at once psychologically charged and slyly humorous. The centerpiece of the exhibition, Man with Axe, features a tiny plastic figure of an axe-wielding man who appears to have demolished an array of items, from dollhouse furniture to large vases, clocks, and even a full-size piano. This trail of destruction signals both the entropic effects of time and the collapse of historical progress that can be caused by a single agent of chaos. In Man with Axe, Porter (b. 1941) asks big questions: Who are we? What do we do? What’s it about?
Exhibition labels and panels
Organized by the Frist Art Museum
Exhibition dates are subject to change.
The Frist Art Museum gratefully acknowledges the support of
Clay Blevins
John and Melinda Buntin
Susan H. Edwards
Jennifer and Billy Frist
Julie and Bob Gordon
Frank and Gwen Gordon
Gail Gordon Jacobs
Louise and Neil Kohler
Neil Krugman and Lee Pratt
Kent Rollins and Belinda Butler
(List current as of April 1, 2021)
Supported in part by
Exhibition gallery
Liliana Porter. Man with Axe and Other Stories (detail), 2017. Figurines, objects, and wooden base, dimensions variable. Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, museum purchase with funds provided by Jorge M. Pérez, 2017.013. © Liliana Porter. Photo: Rhinebeck Studio
Liliana Porter. To Do It: Red Sand III, 2020. Colored sand and figurine on white wooden base, 36 x 40 x 40 in. (approx.). Courtesy of the artist. © Liliana Porter. Photo: Rhinebeck Studio
Liliana Porter. Man with Axe and Other Stories (detail), 2017. Figurines, objects, and wooden base, dimensions variable. Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, museum purchase with funds provided by Jorge M. Pérez, 2017.013. © Liliana Porter. Photo: Rhinebeck Studio
Liliana Porter. Man with Axe and Other Stories (detail), 2017. Figurines, objects, and wooden base, dimensions variable. Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, museum purchase with funds provided by Jorge M. Pérez, 2017.013. © Liliana Porter. Photo: Rhinebeck Studio
Liliana Porter. Man with Axe and Other Stories (detail), 2017. Figurines, objects, and wooden base, dimensions variable. Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, museum purchase with funds provided by Jorge M. Pérez, 2017.013. © Liliana Porter. Photo: Rhinebeck Studio
Liliana Porter. Man with Axe and Other Stories (detail), 2017. Figurines, objects, and wooden base, dimensions variable. Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, museum purchase with funds provided by Jorge M. Pérez, 2017.013. © Liliana Porter. Photo: Rhinebeck Studio
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