When art is taken a little too literally

Nothing demonstrates the dilemma of the average art viewer than the recent case of the elderly German lady who obediently filled in the boxes of a crossword puzzle as directed by the signboard alongside to do so, unaware that both were part of what is called 'installation art'.

Given that museums and galleries are becoming increasingly 'interactive' these days, the unmindful pensioner definitely deserves the benefit of the doubt.

Last year, well-intentioned museum staff in Italy cleared away what appeared to be an after-party mess of cartons, cigarette butts and empty bottles, thereby destroying another such interactive artwork. The rise of experimentation in art has clearly led to confusion too.

Some would, of course, see these incidents of unintentional vandalism as validation of the elevated nature of art as well as art appreciation. After all, the line between art and kitsch can seem blurry, and perhaps in Japan, the general populace is not usually expected to be aesthetically aware.

Moreover, as installation art often accurately mimics real-life scenarios, a highly aware public could lead to actual messes not being cleared up for fear of destroying important artistic comments. Investing in some appropriate signage would be a simple, if
unartistic, way of obviating such incidents in future.