Jorge Pardo’s Pre-Columbian art installation at LACMA

‘Conceptually sophisticated and visually smashing, the installation design that artist Jorge Pardo conceived and executed for the impressive Pre-Columbian collection at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art was unveiled to the public Sunday. Unlike anything you’ve seen in an art museum before, it’s built on a deep understanding of the potential power of smart decoration,’ he writes. ‘To decorate is not just to embellish but to valorize. LACMA’s often exceptional collection of ancient art deserves nothing less -- especially the fine ceramic vessels and sculptures from West Mexico, Central America and Colombia. Pardo’s eccentric, unexpected scheme delivers. ‘It accomplishes two feats. Obscure works of ancient art are elucidated, and so is our contemporary experience of them. This decorative installation design is a meaningful honorific, not an empty flourish. ‘Yet, there is also an inescapable practical problem here -- and it’s not a small one. Pardo’s design may be visually and conceptually powerful, but a serious functional flaw interferes: In several instances, it’s impossible to see the art.