Dead Heads

Thomas Hirschhorn's show, "Superficial Engagement," at Gladstone Gallery is not for the faint of heart. I was so disturbed by the overwhelming amount of photographs of severed or beaten or shot human heads that I had difficulty focusing on the exhibit's artistic merit. The show is quite large; the number of images, sculptures, slogans will test your visual-stimuli limit. Mountains of visually arresting displays are up on platforms with little corridors between each. This show is about healing war and violence through art. I applaud the artist's intent, but I'm a wimp when it comes to looking at mutilated dead heads. If you felt sick when you saw stills of tortured to death Iraqis from Abu Graib or gasped at Uday and Qusay Hussein's bloated post-mortem photos, skip this show. If you can stomach it, I'm sure that this show is rewarding. (Image via Gladstone Gallery)