If it looks like a Styrofoam cup and it squishes like a Styrofoam cup, it’s a Styrofoam cup, right? We thought so, too; then we saw the Tara Donovan exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art (100 Northern Avenue, Boston, 617.478.3100) and we haven’t been able to look at everyday objects the same way since. With those Styrofoam cups, for instance, Donovan constructed a suspended, dramatic biomorphic, bubble-like sculpture. Buttons are the building blocks of a coral reef-like landscape that appears to have been inspired by a Bahamas snorkeling bender. There are also waist-high block-like sculptures, one of incalculable numbers of pins and another of toothpicks. So innovative and poetic is Donovan’s work that she scored the coveted MacArthur “genius” grant just before the show opened at the ICA in October. See the stuff you throw out transformed into dazzling compositions. It’s included with your admission ticket ($12; $10 for students and seniors) to the museum.
