Targeting Enjoyable Art

Red Grooms’ replica of a Target department store has all the items that shoppers would want--except long lines at the cash register.

Grooms’ “The Discount Store, 1970” is a witty and wry depiction of a Target store. Using wood, canvas and myriad other materials, Grooms built a 1,500-square-foot walk-through replica, complete with wooden shopping carts, a garden center with seeds and a soda counter.

“It was a real puzzle” to put together, said Nora Halpern, founding director of the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine University, where the exhibit will be shown through Sept. 25. “We got to know each piece intimately.”

Loaned to Pepperdine University by the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, this elaborate work has never been shown in its entirety. The display also includes a video component on the making of the piece and the premiere of “Flea Market,” a recently completed wall relief depicting a popular New York flea market.

The exhibit shows how well Grooms understands the chaotic, consumer-oriented world that we live in, said Halpern, who believes the success of Grooms’ work can be attributed to the fact that it often prompts conservation.

“He pokes fun at people’s attitudes toward art. . . . He believes that (art) should be enjoyable,” Halpern said. “This group of works shows the serious issues of commerce and trade in a playful and engaging way.”

The exhibit is also a fun way to spend an afternoon browsing the larger-than-life works. Halpern will conduct a free children’s workshop at 11:30 a.m. on July 23. Children will have the opportunity to learn about the exhibit as well as participate in a hands-on workshop.

The “Target: Red Grooms!” exhibit will be shown through Sept. 25. Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is free. Information: (310) 456-4851.