One of my favorite activities on a rainy and grey sky day in Chicago is going to an art museum. When the exterior of the city is gloomy and disgusting, I prefer to surround myself in white-walled galleries adorned with beautiful pieces of artwork and the rich history of distinct universal art movements. 

Luckily, the city has one of the best selections of museums that continue to feature temporary exhibits in addition to their permanent collections. I was debating between the “Manet and Modern Beauty” exhibition at the Art Institute (which I highly recommend if you love impressionist art or pastel colors) or Virgil Abloh’s Figures of Speech exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA). Extremely different styles, I know. Manet is a renowned artist from the 19th century, and Abloh is the latest contemporary designer that the media adores. I find it so cool how exhibitions featuring clothing are making their way into prestigious art museums, though I wonder if it is all just a big scheme to attract the Instagram influencers of Chicago to take photos in the new exhibit. 

I noticed an orange and white checkered flag perched onto a light post. A couple of blocks later, I realized that this same sign is latched onto every single street light in the vicinity. The flag is a promotional sign that reads “Virgil Abloh, “Figures of Speech” along with the dates of the exhibition. Although I only paid attention to the poster for the bright orange colors at first, I saw this as a definite message from the universe to head towards the MCA. 

Courtesy of my family’s MCA membership, I was able to attend an early access preview of Figures of Speech before it opened to the public. I waited at the front entrance of the museum for my mom to meet me so that we could attend the exhibition together. Despite the rain and chilly lakefront wind, the usually vacant MCA steps were buzzing with millennials rushing toward the line to purchase tickets to see Abloh’s work. Arriving fashionably late, of course, the young adults, decked out in all of the latest fashion trends, stomped up the staircase in their chunky platform tennis shoes in a hurry. I was intimidated yet inspired by their fashion senses. I decided to take notes on the pieces of clothing that they were wearing in hopes of incorporating bits of their style into my own wardrobe. 

Once my mom finally arrived, we took the elevator up to the fourth floor to wait in yet another line until we could enter at 1:30, the designated start time for our tickets. The museum sells tickets for every thirty minutes and is strict about entering at the listed time. In the meantime, I admired Abloh’s “Culture Wall” plastered on the outside wall of the exhibition. This piece is a collage incorporating different photos of events, individuals, and artwork that Abloh considers meaningful in his upbringing, ranging from 9/11 to sculptures by Alexander Calder. 

Once instructed to officially enter the exhibition, around thirty of us beelined to the front orange wall featuring an introduction to the exhibit. It educates exhibit-goers on Virgil Abloh, including his education history and career as a designer along with a statement on the important use of language and quotation marks within his designs. The subsequent rooms present a video of Abloh’s early work on the line “Pyrex Vision” and various clothing racks from the Off-White collection to observe. Abloh plays on irony frequently in his designs by creating a scarf with the word “scarf” on it and plastering the word “bag” on a black handbag. The clothing featured on these racks is primarily streetwear, though Abloh does include various dresses and high heeled boots that he created for fashion shows and special events. Many of the walls of the exhibit feature industrial-style posters and billboards with graffiti. 

I had to walk cautiously around the rest of the rooms of the exhibition. It wasn’t because I had to avoid bumping into the artwork or other attendees. I just didn’t want to get in the way of anyone’s Instagram photo. It’s true, and I can’t believe I am saying this about an art exhibition in a museum. It honestly began to ruin the experience at some points. Lines began to form within the museum to take a photo in front of the large-scaled vinyl of Kanye West’s “Yeezus” album and the neon light-up sign that read “YOU’RE OBVIOUSLY IN THE WRONG PLACE.” The heavy, clear plastic panels with “BLUE” stamped on them and a large array of Off-White Nike style shoes were popular photo-op spots as well. At some point, I decided to join in taking photos because it allowed me to appreciate the aspects of the exhibition without people getting in my way. Some part of me felt guilty, however, that this is what art has come to. It made me question some of my fellow museum-goers and their true reasons for wanting to attend the Figures of Speech exhibit. Was it for Instagram or because they actually appreciate art? 

I decided to bring these questions to the attention of Helen Yi, the former Director of Retail Experience at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago. She offered to take me on a one-on-one tour of the exhibition. Through this second visit, I was able to appreciate Figures of Speech without the huge crowds and interruptions for photo ops. Yi shared her own insight with me as someone who was involved in the production of the exhibition and new “Church & State” store that is located at the exit. This addition to the exhibition features pieces that were specially designed for the MCA along with revamped Off-White products that are sold out on the website. The store also offers an exhibition catalog created by the MCA which includes images of Abloh’s work, exclusive interviews with big names in fashion and art, and additional essays by the curator. 

At the end of the tour, I shared with her my viewpoint on the whole Instagram phenomenon of art exhibits in the 21st century. Yi understood where I was coming from but believes that “it is good that art is becoming of greater importance and is reflected through photos and Instagram. Regardless of the reason why people choose to post the exhibit, it promotes art and participation. The more the merrier.” 

I never really thought of it in that way before, but I am coming to understand her perspective on the issue. All it takes is the right moment, person, or platform in this case, to spark someone’s interest in art. For me, it was my Contemporary Art History course that I took while studying abroad for my junior year in Spain and the wonderful teacher who taught it. Before that class, I never considered myself much of an “art connoisseur,” let alone someone who is actually interested in attending new exhibits around the city. But now I appreciate it immensely and go out of my way to learn more about the history behind it. The amount of information you can learn about a group of people or a time period just through their art is incredible. 

To say that this expo is nothing like I’ve ever seen before is an understatement. I am still working towards gaining more knowledge of the contemporary art world since I primarily studied traditional paint on canvas portraits and European gothic architecture. I have already visited this exhibit twice but am planning out a third cruise for the near future. Sure, it’s easy to browse the exhibition through the hashtags #figuresofspeech or #virgilablohmca, but I don’t recommend that. There’s something about seeing artwork in real life and knowing that someone exceptional made the object that is directly in front of you. Enjoy it as if it is a once in a lifetime experience. 

Abloh’s Figures of Speech exhibition closes at the MCA on September 22, and it would be a shame if you were to miss it. If you’re not going to see Abloh’s designs, at least come to take a cool picture in front of the multiple portraits of Chief Keef in a Supreme shirt. Maybe you’ll discover some components of it along the way that you enjoy.