Walking into The Place of Dwelling by Edra Soto at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art feels more like stepping into someone’s story than just visiting an exhibition.
Soto takes everyday objects you’d see in Puerto Rico like metal screens, plastic chairs, and fans and turns them into something emotional and powerful. These pieces carry the feeling of home, community, and everyday life, especially from working class neighborhoods. It’s simple, but it hits you in a deeper way.
The installation is set right in the museum’s central atrium, a space designed by Gunnar Birkerts. The architecture already feels open and almost spiritual, and Soto leans into that. She transforms it into something that reminds you of a church, inspired by her Catholic upbringing.
What I really liked is how it makes you think. It reflects on religion and colonial history, but it doesn’t feel heavy or distant. It feels personal. You can sense both the questioning and the respect at the same time.
There’s also this beautiful contrast. The materials are very familiar, almost ordinary, but the way they come together feels meaningful, almost sacred. It makes you realize how spaces like museums and churches can feel similar. Both are places where people go looking for something, whether it’s connection, answers, or just a moment to pause.
This exhibition isn’t just something you walk through quickly. It makes you slow down, look closer, and reflect a little. And honestly, it stays with you even after you leave.
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