The article reflects on the overwhelming experience of massive group exhibitions, using examples like Lawndale's "The Big Show" (77 artists in 2025), "Hecho en Dallas" (66 artists), and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's 1999 MFA thesis show (around 150 artists). The author, a gallerist, recounts visiting two recent San Antonio shows—"A Postmodernist Says ¿Que?" at Centro de Artes and "Fan of a Fan 3" at C7 Space—which feature dozens of works hung salon-style, forcing viewers to make choices about where to focus attention.
This matters because the proliferation of massive group shows reflects broader shifts in the art world: the explosion of MFA programs producing more artists, the democratization of exhibition opportunities, and the challenge of meaningful curation in an era of abundance. The essay questions whether such shows can truly serve artists and audiences, or whether they risk overwhelming viewers and diluting the impact of individual works.