I recently reconnected with the work of Liliana Porter, an artist who I first noticed years ago at an auction for the terrific MassArt. In a recent interview, she shows off a toy monkey with cymbals, the kind that can drive you nuts in under 30 seconds. I was puzzled by Liliana’s obvious affection for this annoying toy, as she wound him up to full clanging effect. Then she explained that she loved him especially because…. “When he stops, the silence is amazing.”

It is easy for me to name the clanging monkeys in my life, both external and internal. But harder to notice the amazing silences.

Dear ones, where do we find spaces and pauses, however delayed, however temporary? 

If we notice, some of them might be amazing.

A recent mini-documentary from MoMA on Liliana Porter can be found here.

And a NYTimes feature on her work from a few years back can be found here.

MassArt (Massachusetts College of Art & Design) is the only independent public art college in the US, and their spring auction is a treasure trove.

Detail from Liliana Porter’s The Task, 2024.