 The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts recently opened a permanent room dedicated to the memory of Napoleon Bonaparte. The room displays luxury objects that reveal the wealth and splendor of the emperor’s living environment or serve to commemorate his glory. Dominique Sirois’ recent project draws on this museum context, which is also the artist’s workplace when she is on duty there as a security guard. The installation U Can’t Touch This proposes a décor that in many respects recalls a classic exhibition display with its precious, exotic and symbolic objects that are the fruit of colonial plundering. Yet, each detail, whether it be through its material, form or symbolism, contradicts classical tastes and creates a situation in which the ensemble of represented codes is duplicated. It is thus that, quite surprisingly, the world of late 80s rap music is slipped into the display. Gold chains, a mirror, a dance floor, and flashy accessories freely accompany the pharaonic archeology and marble pedestals. In the centre of this hybridized atmosphere is the question of value; the value of the works in this collection, that of precious materials, but also the value we give to certain cultural objects which often have only a short-lived glory. The presence of rolled metal one now finds in secondhand boutiques underlines this passing fashion phenomenon in a significant way: just like the musical hits of a bygone era these objects are nowadays frowned upon, if not forgotten.
The notion of private property, which underlies the whole installation, is revealed more directly in the audio dimension. As one approaches some sculptures an alarm—similar to the one signaling an infraction in a museum—goes off. Yet in this context, behind the pounding rhythm one can discern what were once highly popular tunes, among which the famous “U can’t touch this” by MC Hammer. The surveillance measure’s restrictive action contrasts with the music’s entertaining nature and once again blurs the boundaries defining not only the objects’ function but also their presentation context. In this way Dominique Sirois broadens our reflection on the processes and assumptions underpinning exhibition display practice.
AS, trans. BAS
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