“In everything sudden and unexpected, we are apt to start…”

The title of Carlos Bunga’s current exhibition at MOCA, A Sudden Beginning, is appropriated from Edmund Burke’s A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, particularly the passage on “Suddenness.” This title was chosen for its connection to forceful energies and the potential that Bunga observes in ruptures and ruins. As Burke writes, “In everything sudden and unexpected, we are apt to start…”

As we enter the second half of the year, we ask ourselves: where do we go from here? How do we, a museum, recognize the crises and tragedies that have unfolded and the state of uncertainty that we find ourselves in today? Can we mourn and initiate change at the same time?

We recognize that one way forward is to readjust our perspective. We are motivated by a new sense of connectivity, positive environmental impacts and the urgent call for justice and equity. We acknowledge that we need to fully receive the weight of the present moment; that we must respond and participate more effectively in the transformation and health of our society. MOCA’s mission states that we invigorate and reflect the diversity of our city, yet we know we have work to do to deepen these commitments and engage further with the communities we serve.

As we work towards reopening, we are reflecting internally on our institutional structure and mandate, and how we can make long-term changes that actively dismantle systemic racism and focus on care across all that we do. We will be sharing information about these actions in the coming weeks and months.

Carlos Bunga, A Sudden Beginning, remains installed on the ground and second floor of the museum. We look forward to welcoming you again to MOCA this summer.