It is with profound satisfaction that we report a recent and total failure of comprehension. A visitor stood before one of our works, frowned, and said the words every institution longs to hear: "I don't get it."
We have framed those words. They hang now where the chair used to be.
On the Glory of Not Being Understood
To be understood is to be finished. To be understood is to be a poster, a postcard, a thing one buys at the airport. But to be misunderstood (magnificently, sincerely misunderstood) is to be immortal. It means the work has outrun the viewer, and is still running.
We are, by this measure, the most successful institution in history. Almost no one understands us. Several people are actively confused by us. One man wrote in to say he found the whole thing "a bit much." We have nominated him for an award.
A Note on Clarity
Some have suggested we make our work clearer. We have considered this and rejected it with the speed of a man swatting a fly. Clarity is for instructions. We are not instructions. We are a feeling you cannot name and were probably charged for.
In Gratitude
To everyone who has ever stood before our gallery and quietly thought, what? Thank you. You are the reason we do this. You are also, we should mention, very close to a checkout button.
The Committee, gloriously opaque