2005 Exhibitions

November 12 – January 21, 2006

Designs by Ron Arad

The Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art is proud to announce an exhibition of designs by Ron Arad. Arad is one of todays most creative and versatile furniture artists and designers of our time.

Born in Tel Aviv in 1951, architect and designer Ron Arad studied at the Jerusalem Academy of Art and at the Architectural Association in London. He was Professor of Design at the Hochschule in Vienna from 1994 to 1997, and is currently head of the Design Products Department at the Royal College of Art In London. Arad has exhibited his sculpture and furniture at major museums and galleries internationally and his work is represented in numerous public collections including the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, N.Y.; Victoria & Alberta Museum, London; and the Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany.

Exhibition made possible through the support of Katz & Korin, the Efroymson Fund, 92.3 WTTS, Arts Council of Indianapolis, NUVO, Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Fund, IMC, Endangered Species Chocolate, and Christel DeHaan Family Foundation.
Above: Ron Arad: Lo-Void, 2005, Polished Super-inflated aluminum
Courtesy of Barry Friedman Ltd, New York

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September 10 – November 5, 2005

An Exhibition of New Pastels by Tim Gardner

The Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art is proud to announce an exhibition of new pastels by Tim Gardner. Gardner’s new work consists of larger than life-sized pastel portraits based on photographs found in his family’s archive. Known primarily for his watercolors of adolescents striving to become adults, Gardner’s new work continues to investigate identity by looking more closely at his own past.

Gardner, born in Iowa City, IA, now resides and works in Canada. Gardner’s work is charged with elegance and at times humor. Many of these pieces invite us to recall a simpler period of few worries, and in doing so they awaken a familiar feeling of nostalgia. But neither life nor art is ever so simple. Simultaneously confirming and deconstructing reality, his portraits also expose a tension within the viewer that most professional photographers don’t reveal. Gardner’s message: unease. Powerfully, Gardner’s mastery of the mediums he works with increases our uneasiness and in doing so reinforces our intimate connection with his art.

Exhibition made possible through the support of Katz & Korin, the Efroymson Fund, 92.3 WTTS, Arts Council of Indianapolis, NUVO, Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Fund, IMC, and Endangered Species Chocolate.
Above: Tim Gardner: Untitled (Family Portrait 1), 2005, Pastel on gessoed paper mounted on canvas.
Courtesy of the Rachofsky Collection, Dallas

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July 23 – September 3, 2005

Hugh & Alethea

A solo exhibition by New York based collaborative artists Hugh and Alethea. In From Indiana, With Love…, the photo tandem continues an ongoing study of rural America. Drawing on the artists’ shared cultural background, this body of work presents beautiful and dispossessed young women, yearning for recognition and displaying their inherent sexuality. Simultaneous with their empty lives is their all too apparent beauty that the artists draw out with care and sensitivity.

Hugh (b. 1978, Dallas, TX) and Alethea (b. 1979, Bloomington, IN) have been collaborating for five years. Having met the first day of college, they have influenced each other’s photographic style from the start. Their rural upbringing reveals itself in their joint style, which exhibits a strong influence of the glossies and the mainstream culture that they portray. This is Hugh & Alethea’s first solo exhibition in the Midwest.

Exhibition made possible through the support of Katz & Korin, the Efroymson Fund, 92.3 WTTS, Arts Council of Indianapolis, NUVO, Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Fund, IMC, Endangered Species Chocolate, and Christel DeHaan Family Foundation.
Above: Hugh & Alethea: Bluex Kyack, 2004, C-Print
Courtesy of the artists and Rare Gallery, New York

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May 5 – July 9, 2005

Altered Spaces

Artists’ interpretations of interior and exterior spaces are showcased by site-specific installations and other mediums that renegotiate physical space. Participating artists include Robert Beck, Greg Hull, Jesper Just, Vincent Lamouroux and Sean McFarland.

Robert Beck’s installation literally turns space on its side as he transforms a corner of the gallery. Greg Hull’s installation Night Orchid, a kinetic light sculpture to be placed permanently on the roof of the historic Emelie Building, will alter the cityscape as it will be visible from surrounding neighborhoods as well as respond to altering climatic conditions. Patrons will be able to screen Jesper Just’s film “Bliss and Heaven” in a semi trailer video lounge located in front of the iMOCA galleries. Just’s film follows a young man on his quest to reveal an older man’s secret life and sexuality. Internationally exhibited artistVincent Lamouroux will create a site-specific floor installation in the iMOCA galleries such as has been exhibited in New York, Miami and Paris. The piece will have a spellbinding effect, transforming the perception of our surroundings and encouraging patrons to interact with the environment with renewed self-consciousness. The photographs of Sean McFarland, characterized by a dramatic depth of field, reduce generic cityscapes to the scale of a model train set.

Exhibition made possible through the support of Katz & Korin, the Efroymson Fund, Arts Council of Indianapolis, NUVO, and IMC. Installation made possible by Lowes Home Improvement Centers of Indianapolis.
Above: Vincent Lamouroux: Sol, 2005, Wood and wood screws, Site specific installation
Courtesy of the artist and Spencer Brownstone Gallery, New York

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March 4 – April 15, 2009

Rashid Johnson
A Production of Escapism

Escapism is the tendency to seek distraction and relief from reality, especially through the arts and in fantasy. In this exhibition Johnson explores escapist tendencies in a multi-media project of photos, video, and site-specific installation to reveal reality and often the absurdity of it all.

Exhibition made possible through the support of Katz & Korin, the Efroymson Fund, 92.3 WTTS, Arts Council of Indianapolis, and NUVO.
Above: Rashid Johnson: Portrait of My Ex-wife as the Tragic Mulatto, 2004, Lambda print
Courtesy of Moniquemeloche, Chicago

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January 15 – February 26, 2005

Guy Richards Smit
Nausea II

A full-length video project in the cinematic rock opera tradition, is an absurdist journey through crippling doubt, self-discovery, healing, and in the end, unconditional love. The film travels to iMOCA after its debut at Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Exhibition made possible through the support of Katz & Korin, the Efroymson Fund, 92.3 WTTS, Arts Council of Indianapolis, and NUVO.
Above: Guy Richards Smit: Nausea (II), 2004, Video Stills
Courtesy of Roebling Hall Gallery, New York

Tags: escapism, furniture, pasels, portraits, rural America, spaces, video project

Posted on: 10.11.2009