FOUR MASTER'S DEGREE EXHIBITIONS, SOLO (FOR TWO VOICES), MIGRATING MOTIFS, THE LENGTHS, AND WHO LAUGHED? WILL BE ON VIEW AT BARD'S CENTER FOR CURATORIAL STUDIES FROM APRIL 13 TO 27
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—In April, the Center for Curatorial Studies will present four exhibitions curated by students in the Center's graduate program in curatorial studies and contemporary art. Solo (for two voices), Migrating Motifs, The Lengths, and Who Laughed? are organized by students as part of the requirements for the master's degree. The second set of such exhibitions this spring will be on view from April 13 to 27. An opening reception will be held on Sunday, April 13, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Museum hours are Wednesday through Sunday, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Admission to both the museum and the reception is free.
Solo (for two voices)
, curated by José Luis Blondet, focuses on ventriloquism to explore the tensions between the voice and its projections, through the media of paintings, photographs, and video and audio works by Juan Araujo (Venezuela), Vasco Araujo (Portugal), Silvia Gruner (Mexico), Anneè Olofsson (Sweden), Laurie Simmons (U.S.), and Alonso Toro (Venezuela). Ventriloquism questions the origin of the voice, because changing that origin is exactly the trick of the art. Indeed, a common sketch is based on the tension between the ventriloquist and his figure, whose rebellious voice betrays and compromises the human behind the speech. Works gathered in this exhibition set up a game of unfolding voices, challenging notions of originality and identity.Migrating Motifs
, curated by Candice Hopkins, pairs works by Faye HeavyShield and Elaine Reichek. HeavyShield's Blackfoot heritage is a basis for her spare, ambiguous sculptures, which occupy a liminal space between the traditional and contemporary, individual and collective, literal and metaphorical. Reichek, by contrast, draws on ethnographic and commercial depictions of Native North Americans, only to turn the lens away from the subjects and back onto the producers and consumers of these objects and images. Together, they put forth the idea that identity is not singular, but paradoxical, at times ironic.The Lengths
, curated by Kelly Taxter, responds to issues posed by contemporary theorist Paul Virilio. These include his belief that the ubiquity of media in contemporary culture results in "the derealization of the terrestrial horizon," or the complete dissolution of natural boundaries in exchange for boundless virtual space. Virilio claims that this apparent freedom from physical limitations leads to a feeling of confinement rather than liberation. Through photography, film, video, television, and virtual reality, works by Trisha Donnelly, Omer Fast, Pierre Huyghe, Paul Ramírez Jonas, and Aïda Ruilova explore how nature can be preserved through the very media that is held accountable for its destruction.In Who Laughed?, curated by Jimena Acosta Romero, works by Diego Gutierrez, Jonathan Hernández, and Christian Jankowski represent situations where daily life routines have been altered by breaking the unspoken rules of social behavior. Through actions and interventions, the artists create a subtle contrast between real situations and unreal ones, revealing the humor within the unexpected. The works in Who Laughed?, primarily videos and projections, show four different ways in which art intrudes into people’s public and private lives.
The final group of six master's degree exhibitions and projects will be on view from Sunday, May 11, through Sunday, May 25, with an opening reception on May 11 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. In More Than A Thousand Words, curated by Kazeem Adeleke, photographs by Zwelethu Mthethwa, Tracey Rose, and Berni Searle confront the traumatic experiences of women in colonial and postcolonial Africa. Rest Assured, curated by Ana Vejzovic, examines the experiences of leisure in contemporary society through sculptures, drawings, and videos by David Kramer, Euan Macdonald, Renata Poljak, and Chris Vorhees. Split: Women in Dislocation, curated by Christel Tsilibaris, includes works by Mona Hatoum, Stefana McClure, Senam Okudzeto, Fiona Tan, and Danwen Xing that reflect on the effects of cultural dislocation in their lives. In Subscribe: Recent Art in Print, curated by Ingrid Chu, artists Franz Ackermann, Gareth James, Dave Muller, Danica Phelps, Ron Terada, and the artist group BANK create postcards, advertisements, and other projects that will be published in New York–based art periodicals this spring. To What End?, curated by John Weeden, includes works by Vito Acconci, Matt Calderwood, Declan Clarke, Hilary Lloyd, Leah Moskowitz, and Bruce Nauman, in which an individual expends effort for no apparent reward. Curator Robert Blackson presents This Is Us, a project by the British artist Jeremy Deller, who is producing a sound portrait of the Mid Hudson Valley in collaboration with area musicians—ranging from church choirs to cheerleaders. A spring concert will launch the resulting compilation CD.
Limited free seating is available on a chartered bus that leaves from Soho in New York City on the days of the exhibition openings (Sundays, April 13 and May 11). Reservations must be made in advance by calling the Center at 845-758-7598. Bus transportation is provided through the generosity of Audrey Irmas.
Programs at the Center, including the spring exhibitions, are supported by the Friends of the Center for Curatorial Studies and by the Center’s annual benefit for student scholarships and exhibitions. Additional support for the spring exhibitions has been provided by the Monique Beudert Fund and Marieluise Hessel.
For further information, call the CCS at 845-758-7598, e-mail [email protected], or visit the website www.bard.edu/ccs/exhibitions.
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(3.20.03)