The Justice

'Nutsy's Tableau,' above, an elaborate race track for remote control cars, encompasses almost half of the Lois-Foster wing of the Rose Art Museum. 'Lav A2,' below, is a completely functional replica of an airplane lavatory constructed from foam core. Sachs is one of two artists currently featured all semester at the Rose. Photo courtesy of the Office of the Arts.

I stand on the lower floor of the Rose Art Museum. The linoleum floors click with each step as I inspect canvasses, taking in the subtle splashing sound from the rectangular fountain. Steve Miller's silk-screened works set the mood as I circle the central staircase. Swinging around, I am immediately captured by what I see through the glass double doors of the Lois Foster Wing: a refrigerator, a drill press, a radio--all objects are quickly recognizable. But, I wonder, what are these seemingly unrelated and insignificant items doing in an art museum?

In addition to the Steve Miller exhibition, "Spiraling Inward," a second show, "Tom Sachs: Logjam," simultaneously captivates and stuns guests in the two-story Foster wing located at the rear of the museum. "Logjam" lures in visitors first by tickling their curiosity, then by rewarding them with brilliance.

"Logjam" combines objects of work and play-all of which reflect Sachs' near obsession with American consumerist culture. Born in 1966 in New York, Sachs arrived on the art scene in 1994 with his window display, "Hello Kitty Nativity Scene." This display was quickly taken down after protests from Roman Catholic groups. The piece featured Bart Simpson figurines as the three kings, pop singer Madonna as other Mary, wearing leather; and the Kitty as the baby Jesus. Clearly, Sachs isn't afraid of making waves.

Needless to say, this mentality runs throughout the "Logjam" exhibition-a show full of personal items, consumerist references and touchy subjects. The show was first organized by the Des Moines Art Center and takes its name from a box Sachs keeps in his studio for failed parts when working on projects. When first walking into the space, the work that immediately grabbed my attention was "Vader," a giant, black, working refrigerator. The name alludes to the famous Star Wars character, Darth Vader, since the refrigerator is large, black, and also makes its own unnatural noise. Vader exists as a commentary on the history of the refrigerator and, specifically, that famous refrigerator "hum."

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