We’ve been a bit understaffed as of late, but that’s changed this week and now we’re playing a bit of catch up – either way, it would be unwise for us to not advise most of RVA’s arts community to check out this incredible show featuring art from one of the country’s most creative print mags.
We’ve been a bit understaffed as of late, but that’s changed this week and now we’re playing a bit of catch up – either way, it would be unwise for us to not advise most of RVA’s arts community to check out this incredible show featuring art from one of the country’s most creative print mags.
Hi-Fructose, The exhibition curated by Virginia MOCA gallery, will feature some of the foremost contemporary artists through a ten year retrospective of the art magazine. This exhibition is a unique opportunity to bring a broad spectrum of artwork by over 50 artists from the pages of magazines and computer screens to the walls of a contemporary art museum that dedicates itself on educating the significant art of today. Turn the Page represents the museum’s first large-scale contemporary retrospective and the first time these artists will be shown together in one location.
Wim Delvoye’s “Cement Truck” – 2010, Laser-cut stainless steel, 32 inches x 78. x 17 inches, – Courtesy of the Artist and Galerie Perrotin, © Studio Wim Delvoye
Ten years ago, two San-Francisco-based artists, Annie Owens-Seifert and Daniel “Attaboy” Seifert started an art magazine to share the type of art they loved. Over the years, Hi-Fructose has become an influential publication with a devoted international readership, celebrating diverse art that transcends genres from artists who break away from conventional trends.
“This exhibition is the chance for admirers and devotees to take their interest and curiosity one step further. To commune with a work of art in person is an opportunity for deep exploration, to discover nuance and detail with your own eyes,” said MOCA’s Curator Heather Hakimzadeh, who curated the exhibition, along with MOCA’s Exhibitions and Education Director Alison Byrne.
Greg “Craola” Simkins, Killing Time, 2014, Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 20 inches, Collection of Nick Cassavetes
Artists include: AJ Fosik, Audrey Kawasaki, Barnaby Barford, Beth Cavener, Brian Dettmer, Brian McCarty, Camille Rose Garcia, Chris Berens, Erwin Wurm, Femke Hiemstra, Fulvio Di Piazza, Gary Taxali, Gehard Demetz, Greg Craola Simkins, James Jean, Jean-Pierre Roy, Jeff Soto, Jennybird Alcantara, Jeremy Geddes, Josh Keyes, Kate MacDowell, Kazuki Takamatsu, Kehinde Wiley, Kevin Cyr, Kris Kuksi, Lisa Nilsson, Marco Mazzoni, Marion Peck, Mark Dean Veca, Mark Ryden, MARS-1, Martin Wittfooth, Nicola Verlato, Olek, Parra, Ray Caesar, Ron English, Sam Gibbons, Scott Hove, Scott Musgrove, Shepard Fairey, Tara McPherson, Tiffany Bozic, Tim Biskup, Todd Schorr, Tracey Snelling, Travis Louie, Victor Castillo, Wayne White, Wim Delvoye and Yoshitomo Nara.
“Turn the Page is the largest exhibition MOCA has undertaken. Not only will it advance the museum’s mission to foster awareness and exploration of the art of our time, it will undoubtedly spark dialogue through the diverse works of these boundary breaking artists,” said MOCA’s Executive Director Debi Gray.
Viewers of this exhibition will find over 60 original works of art, ranging from hyper-realistic paintings of unexpected animal and nature-inspired juxtapositions to intricately built sculptures that eclipse traditional themes and mediums. A hallucinatory installation by Mark Dean Veca and even a crocheted community public art project with internationally renowned artist, Olek, that will be unveiled on the first day of MOCA’s 61st annual Boardwalk Art Show on June 16th.
LA Gallerist Merry Karnowsky, (Merry Karnowsky Gallery // KP PPROJECTS) has featured a number of Turn the Page artists said, “There has not been a significant exhibition on the East Coast that has mapped the progression of the past 90s new/next generation of hybrid artist that have come from Lowbrow, Pop Surreal, Street, Urban and Mural Art traditions in over 20 years, which is why this exhibition is as relevant as it is exciting.”
Jean-Pierre Roy The Incunabulist, 2015, Oil on linen, 50 x 38 inches, Courtesy of The Grauslund Collection
The exhibition will debut at MOCA’s opening night celebration A Full Moon Menagerie on Saturday, May 21st. MOCA will transform into a landscape of trees, tents and tunnels paying homage to the surreal and diverse genres of artwork on display. The Rodriguez Pavilion (that houses MOCA’s iconic Chihuly chandelier) will be home to a vintage circus complete with red and white tent facades draped along the windowed walls. Bridging the gap between the colorful circus tent and the monochromatic forest will be a wildly lit parachute tunnel that acts as the portal between two completely different worlds.
A volunteer Turn the Page opening night committee came up with these ideas after in-depth consideration of the works in the exhibition. The committee hopes guests feel like the event transforms each time they enter a new space. The black and white forest in MOCA’s Atrium was inspired by Fulvio di Piazza’s piece in the show, Ratspiderbat, and the monochromatic color palette derived from the works of Kazuki Takamatsu and James Jean.
There are two ways to enjoy this serendipitous evening. The Opening Soiree begins at 5:30pm with cocktails, dinner, wine, entertainment with local jazz band 504 Supreme and the exclusive opportunity to be the first to view the exhibition with private curatorial tours.
As the full moon rises the menagerie unfolds and the party turns the page to the public opening at 8:30pm. Guests can meet artists, enjoy live acts and oddities, participate in an interactive mural, enjoy light bites and a creative cash bar. Live entertainment by Richmond’s experimental masked musician Gull and Norfolk’s own electro-pop band DJP and MR T celebrate the trend setting work shaping the art world. It is an evening sure to amaze.
Over thirty public programs will accompany the exhibition allowing those who live or visit Coastal Virginia the opportunity to explore Turn the Page hands-on, and in many instances, with the artists themselves. A wide selection of master classes, artist talks, collaborative community outreach, film screenings, panel discussions. Turn the Page programming highlights include:
May 21 A FULL MOON MENAGERIE: Opening Night Celebration
May 22 PANEL: Q&A with Hi-Fructose Co-Founders, Annie Owens and Attaboy
Jun 16 PUBLIC ART UNVEILING featuring Olek
July 7/8 ARTIST TALK: Beth Cavener / IN-DEPTH PROCESS TALK: Beth Cavener
Sept. 11 MASTER CLASS & SPECIAL LIVE PAINTING EVENT: Greg “Craola” Simkins
Oct. 6 ARTIST TALK: War Toys with Brian McCarty
Oct. 28 ARTIST TALK: Wayne White
Nov. 10 ARTIST TALK: Martin Wittfooth
Dec. 8/10 ARTIST TALK: Tara McPherson / MASTER CLASS: Tara McPherson
Dec. 30 CLOSING CELEBRATION
Turn the Page runs through Dec. 31, 2016 before traveling to the Akron Art Museum (Akron, Ohio), Feb. 10 through May 7, 2017 and then to the Crocker Art Museum (Sacramento, California), June 11 through Sept. 17, 2017.
Tickets to A Full Moon Menagerie on May 21st are $125 for the Opening Soiree, $25 advance to the Public Opening, $30 at the door. A Full Moon Menagerie is a 21+ event.
Tickets can be purchased HERE via VirginiaMOCA.org or by calling 757-425-0000. RSVP and share the opening event on Facebook.
