Moving through the exhibition, I initially liked what I saw. As I progressed, things started to shift slightly. The more I saw of the installation, the more I wondered why it was in a museum.
This is a default with art.
There are works of art we like more than others. Some exhibits find themselves to be confusing. Others can be called art, and yet we’ll find ourselves unable to connect with or like them.
Liking something is a personal reaction; it’s a subjective experience.
Appreciating something as a work of art is responding to a norm that has been established. It may not always be possible to appreciate or like it, but this doesn’t change the fact that someone established a norm or categorized something as art. It may leave us with many questions about why it is considered art or what makes it art.
Seeing something within its relationship to a norm transforms it into a more objective experience. It is irrelevant whether we like it or not.
The same happens with behavior.
We may like the values and rules they represent and find It easy to adhere to them. Just as probable is that we find ourselves confused or intrigued by them, or that we disagree with them.
It matters if we like them, but it doesn’t really matter if we dislike them. Once they have been established and widely accepted, our task is to choose how we relate to them.
We can reject them and yet follow them to stay aligned with those establishing the norm. We can reject them and become vocal about it, with no guarantee that this changes anything. We can reject them and search for ways to go against them.
Whatever we do, it will affect our sense of belonging.
If we appreciate that type of behavior, it’s easy to participate and feel like belonging. In any other case, the question becomes how our position will affect our ability to lean into that behavior. That is, how important it is for us that we dislike that behavior and what consequences we are willing to tolerate.
The ultimate choice will be determined by the priority belonging has for us.
