Pierre Huyghe and the abominable crab...but wait it's so beautiful

Expo 1 at MoMA PS1 opened May 12th. After Hurricane Sandy an exhibition on ecology among other things seemed rather fitting. The theme of Expo 1 is 'Dark Optimism' and after seeing the exhibition I find an optimistic view difficult after experiencing artwork that portrays the current issues with our planet.

The exhibition is vast including grandiose pieces by artists like Ólafur Elíasson and Andres Villar Rojas but in a small dark corner room next to the staircase is a piece by Pierre Huyghe. Its location in the building is important because there is a sense of discovery. An aquarium sits in the back of the dark room containing a hermit crab with an unlikely shell, a resin copy of Branusci’s Sleeping Muse. This is not a small hermit crab like the one you begged your mom to get for you at the mall when you were eight but a massive fifteen year old hermit crab that could be describe as the Yoda of the sea.

Dozens of Arrow crabs, which are small and territorial, cling to the basalt rocks that fill the tank. Arrow crabs fight to the death, slowly eating each others legs off until there is nothing left. The hefty hermit crab is able to move the rocks as he crawls around the tank, constantly causing chaos among the inhabited arrow crabs. This aspect is definitely the "Dark" side to the optimism but truly eye opening to observe this "Sleeping Muse" cause so much destruction.

This is an image taken by Frieze Art Fair of Pierre Huyghe piece Recollection, 2011 the image is similar to the piece at MoMA PS1

Visit MoMA PS1 For Expo 1