“Marta Minujín: Menesunda Reloaded”

Immersive experiences are all the rage now, especially as branding exercises by various commercial interests. The idea, however, got its start in the art world, and among the pioneers of the form was Argentinian artist Marta Minujín. In 1965, Minujín mounted her seminal work, La Menesunda at a museum in Buenos Aires. Comprising an interactive warren of installations, the piece included a hall way lined with TVs, a tunnel of neon signs, a full-service salon offering makeovers and massages and a room with a couple lying in a bed. A comment on consumer culture, Minujín’s piece was also inspired by the urban chaos of Buenos Aires (the title is local slang for commotion or confusion). Like most of Minujín’s art, La Menesunda was ephemeral and scattered to the wind after it was shown. Fifty years later, in 2015, the piece was reconstructed for an exhibit at the Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires. It’s been reconstructed once again for this exhibition at the New Museum.