Perspectives 159: Superconscious, Automatisms Now
December 14, 2007 – March 9, 2008
Opening reception December 13, 2007, 6:30-9:00 p.m.
Sigh. This is Houston's last hurrah with Senior CAMH Curator Paola Morsiani, and we are sad. Having been with the CAMH for over eight years, Morsiani is heading north to become Curator of Contemporary Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art, an internationally renowned encyclopedic museum in the midst of a $258 million renovation and expansion. We can't say we blame her, but we will miss her.
Tonight brings us Perspectives 159: Superconscious, Automatisms Now, a fabulously titled exhibition focusing on contemporary artists who use free association or “stream of consciousness,” a designation originally coined to describe a creative writing method deployed by innovative early-20th century novelists like Virginia Woolf and James Joyce. We're not sure what that has to do with a lime-green sculpture wearing a wig, but just go with it.
While stream of consciousness in literature strives to depict human experience at a spiritual level, Perspectives 159: Superconscious, Automatisms Now will demonstrate a method of the past two decades that allows for artwork to connect autobiographical and conceptual contents and yet remain open to interpretation. This group exhibition includes works of sculpture and photography by Rachel Harrison, paintings by Sean Landers, a film by Oliver Payne and Nick Relph, and works on paper by Danica Phelps.
Morsiani will lead a gallery talk prior to the preview reception for Perspectives 159: Superconscious, Automatisms Now on Thursday, December 13, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Come out and hear her fluid Italian voice one last time!
Morsiani has been with the CAMH since April 1999, a span that saw her curate a number of internationally acclaimed exhibitions, including Wishing for Synchronicity: Works by Pipilotti Rist (2006-07), Andrea Zittel: Critical Space (2006), and When 1 is 2: The Art of Alighiero e Boetti (2002).
The Houston Press named Morsiani the city’s “Best Curator” in 2006, and exhibitions organized by Morsiani were deemed “Best Art Show” the past two years (Andrea Zittel: Critical Space in 2006 and Wishing for Synchronicity: Works by Pipilotti Rist in 2007).
Andrea Zittel: Critical Space, co-curated with Trevor Smith of the New Museum of Contemporary Art, was named “Best Architecture and Design Show of 2006” by the International Association of Art Critics.
Gallery Talk: 6:30
Opening Reception: 6:30-9:00
Free Admission...Cash Bar
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
5216 Montrose Boulevard
www.camh.org
add to digg
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
email this
add to facebook
add to del.icio.us
Post a comment (Comment Policy)