Yesterday I wrote about how much my elementary aged son is effected by Anslem Kiefer’s artwork. When we were at the WAREhouse in Miami, there was a moment when I parked the kids in front of Jennifer Steinkamp’s video “Dervish 2” to regroup. We were on the floor, piled up together, and enjoying the trance-like swaying tree. Then I looked up through the doorway next to me.

I laughed when I saw Gilles Barbier’s art through the doorway because it is absurd. Inside the next room, six iconic superheroes are sculpted in wax as if they are old, sick, and weak. Wonder Woman has saggy boobs and the Hulk is slumped in a wheelchair. My three sons under the age of seven are prime superhero age. This artwork has the chance of being more depressing than a Kiefer for them. (oops) The installation “L’Hospice” by Gilles Barbier combines humor with the darker issues of aging. Are we ready to think about this?

I laughed because art never lets me back away from the realities that are underneath everyday life. The best art provides surprising and gracious moments for leaning into the uncertainties or the invisible. As my children get older and my relationship with them grows, I hope we continue to be open to these experiences and all these conversations. Because at that moment, I wasn’t ready to dive into the “life ends…even for superheroes” talk.