February 9–May 5, 2013
Public artist talk, opening reception
Friday, February 8, 6–9pm
(see below for more information)
www.weatherspoon.uncg.edu
The Weatherspoon Art Museum at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro is pleased to present a major solo exhibition, Diana Al-Hadid, from February 9–May 5, 2013. The exhibition highlights the artist’s unique exploration of art historical references to examine sculptural and pictorial space.
Born in Syria and raised in Ohio, the artist’s haunting works convey a world turned upside down. Her recent large-scale gypsum and metal sculptures, small bronzes, and drawings are inspired by myriad sources, including Italian and Northern Renaissance painting, Gothic architecture, and Hellenistic sculpture. Known for her innovative methods that extend pictorial devices used to convey perspective into three-dimensional space, her works tread on new terrain for contemporary sculpture at the same time as they recover influential visual histories. The exhibition represents the artist’s first museum survey in the U.S. and the publication will be the artist’s first monograph.
The exhibition is organized by Xandra Eden, Curator of Exhibitions, and will be accompanied by a catalogue published by Hatje Cantz featuring essays by Eden and art critic Gregory Volk. The project is made possible through the support of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation, and ARTIslam, a project of the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts at the UNC School of the Arts.
Artist’s bio
Diana Al-Hadid (b. 1981, Aleppo, Syria; lives and works in Brooklyn) received a BFA from Kent State University, MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University, and attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Recent solo exhibitions include Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond (2012); the University of Texas Art Center, Austin (2012); La Conservera, Murcia, Spain (2011); and Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2010). Her work has been included in numerous international group exhibitions including, Invisible Cities, Mass MoCA, North Adams (2012); Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East, The Saatchi Gallery, London (2009), and the 9th Sharjah Biennial, UAE (2009). She is a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow in Sculpture, United States Artists Rockefeller Fellow, and a recipient of Joan Mitchell Foundation, Tiffany Foundation and Pollock-Krasner Foundation awards. Al-Hadid is represented by Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York.
Related education and public programming
Diana Al-Hadid: members preview, artist talk and opening reception
Friday, February 8, 6–9pm:
Private members preview, 5–6pm, members only, reservations required
Public artist talk, 6pm, reservations required
Public reception, 7–9pm, no reservations required
Reservations are required for the Members Preview and the Public Artist Talk. Reserve online here, or contact Cathy Rogers at [email protected] or T 336 256 1450 no later than Tuesday, February 5, 2013. Please note, seating for the Public Artist Talk is limited.
WAMJam
Thursday, February 14, 6pm
UNCG Jazz Studies majors, led by professor Chad Eby, return to WAM Jam to perform their own compositions inspired by works by artist Diana Al-Hadid. Free.
Family Night: Imaginary Landscapes/Mystical Places
Thursday, February 21, 5pm
Create an imaginary landscape, explore the exhibition with WAM’s Teen Art Guides, and enjoy a jazz performance by Chad Eby and UNCG jazz students. Free.
Art for Lunch: Curator Talk
Wednesday, February 27, 12pm
Xandra Eden provides an in-depth curator’s walk-thru. Free.
Noon @ the ‘Spoon Public Tour
Tuesday, March 12, 12pm
A 20-minute docent-led tour. Free.
Guest Lecture: Gregory Volk
Friday, March 22, 4pm
New York-based art critic and curator, Gregory Volk, discusses Diana Al-Hadid’s work in the context of international contemporary art. Volk is associate professor in the departments of sculpture and painting at Virginia Commonwealth University. Free.
For a complete, updated list of related programs, visit weatherspoon.uncg.edu.
Weatherspoon Art Museum
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Spring Garden and Tate Streets, PO Box 26170
Greensboro, NC 27402-6170
T 336 334 5770
[email protected]
For more information or press images, contact:
Loring Mortensen, T 336 256 1451, [email protected]
 
