The Sensory Overload exhibit at the Milwaukee art museum tracks the development of kinetic and optical illusionary artwork, whose highly interactive and stimulating nature introduced new dimensions to the art world. The artwork in this exhibit moves chronologically, and includes pieces from the 1950's, all the way up to the 80's and 90's. These decades were arguably more experimental than any decades before, all across the board. Sensory Overload is a reflection of this experimenting that was going on, from an art perspective.  As our world becomes more and more consumed by technology, cell phones, computers, and televisions, many people seek the human hand in artwork, and crave it's pure sensations. As Frank Stella, a featured artist in this exhibit said, "What you see is what you see."

Walking into the space, the first piece that catches an eye is 'Ruin' by Nam June Paik. Ruin is a sculpture of assembled television sets from the 60's and 70's. Stacked almost to the ceiling, this piece has an ominous air about it, as if it's looming over viewers, sending out a warning, and forcing us to look. It wants us to act cautious, to think twice. The piece echoes Paik's belief that the television has defined the American landscape since World War Two. It seems to be asking, "What if the human race gets ravished and almost defeated by it's wars and all that is left are these TV sets and our crumbling monuments to our obsession with the media?" Colors and light flash chaotically on the TV screens, leaving us feeling deserted, and empty, wondering if we ourselves have too strong a fascination with our media and televisions. 

Turning the corner from 'Ruin', there is one of Al Reinhardt's 'Black Paintings'. Badly positioned on a wall near a window and a blinking neon sculpture, it is difficult not to pass Reinhardt's piece without really noticing or caring that it's even there, at first. But upon further observation, you begin to see why the poor placement choice of this piece is somewhat of a small tragedy. The point of Reinhardt's modernist 'Black Paintings' was to refine out all the unnecessary aspects of a typical piece of art, leaving behind a "breathless, timeless, styleless, lifeless, deathless, endless," piece of art. He would blacken his colorful paintings so much so that they became almost completely beyond apprehension. Sometimes it takes up to twenty minutes to see the actual 'face' of the painting seep through. It is usually Reinhardt's request that his painting be dimly lit, wanting his viewers to find light in the darkness, literally. So apart from being poorly placed in the exhibit, this piece is highly sensational and interactive, and an asset to the collection. 

Overall, Sensory Overload is a successful chronology of optical and kinetic artworks over the past fifty years. The pieces are interactive and fun, and have playful and mysterious effect on the audience. Even middle aged and elderly men and women feel like children in this exhibit, getting close to the works and figuring out what it is about them that makes them an 'overload' for the senses. However it's important to not completely lose objectivity when viewing this exhibit or any exhibit or artworks elsewhere, and that's why pieces like Nam June Paik's 'Ruin' and Ad Reinhardt's 'Black Painting' fit in well with the other pieces. They keep us thinking and keep us not just aesthetically entertained, but cognitively pleased as well.