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Meet Me at the Museums: An Edible, Ethnographic Engagement with Victor Grippo’s Analogia I

A wood shelving unit containing electric circuits, electric meter and switch, and 40 potatoes displayed on a wall.
Victor Grippo, Argentinian, Analogia I, 1970–71. Electric circuits, electric meter and switch, potatoes, ink, paper, paint, and wood. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Richard Norton Memorial Fund and gift of Leslie Cheek, Jr., 2010.3. © The Estate of Victor Grippo.

Gallery Talk

In-Person
Harvard Art Museums
32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA

Victor Grippo’s Analogia I is a quietly powerful piece that embodies concerns central to the artist: everyday foods, recurring elements, energy, measurement, as well as the collective consciousness and its potential. The edible protagonist in the piece—the potato—deserves a special spotlight. Metonym and meal, the potato offers an opportunity to look more closely at the historical entanglement between humans and nature.

Whether purposefully or not, Analogia I calls attention to how we take our food for granted and the forgetfulness that occurs as soon as we take something grown for consumption from the grocery store shelf. What happens to the lowly spuds that power this piece every day? In this era of growing awareness of food waste reduction, can the core ideas that animate Analogia I be harnessed to complete new circuits of meaning and value?

Meet Me at the Museums is a new series of talks given by our campus partners, lenders, and students. The series widens the circle of our gallery talk offerings, allowing for a richer diversity of viewpoints, surprising interdisciplinary connections and research, and unique perspectives about our collections and exhibitions.

Led by:
Dr. Gavin Whitelaw, Executive Director, Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, and Lecturer, Harvard University

Meet Me at the Museums gallery talks are limited to 18 people, and it is required that you reserve your place. At 10am the day of the event, reservations will open and may be arranged online through this form. The gallery talk reservation will also serve as your general museum reservation. If required, visitors will pay the museum admission fee upon arrival.

Please meet in the Calderwood Courtyard, in front of the digital screens between the shop and the admissions desk.

Please see the museum visit page to learn about our general policies for visiting the museum.

The Harvard Art Museums are committed to accessibility for all visitors. For anyone requiring accessibility accommodations for our programs, please contact us at am_register@harvard.edu at least 48 hours in advance.