Mark Mothersbaugh: Myopia

Popular music, movies and art collide in artist Mark Mothersbaugh’s exhibition Myopia. This retrospective, organized by MCA Denver, will bring together the first comprehensive presentation of the Akron, Ohio-born Mothersbaugh’s art and music from the early 1970s through the present day. Well known as a founding member of the popular band Devo, Mothersbaugh has been a prolific artist since before the band’s inception, and continues to produce work that makes the case for his position as an important figure in contemporary culture.

Myopia includes prints, drawings, paintings, sculptures, rugs and video animations; performances; newly produced musical and sculptural installations; and most notably a life-long series of postcard-sized works which will be exhibited in its entirety for the first time. There will also be documentation and music from his Devo days. This nationally-touring exhibition will be accompanied by a major publication by Princeton Architectural Press.

Mothersbaugh’s unique artistic view highlights the relationship between technology and individuality. His colorful pieces stem from daily postcard drawings that he has been creating since before the founding of Devo. These small works now exceed 30,000 in number. The surreal, comic-book style ink characters and imagery that inhabit these postcards inform Mothersbaugh’s other works.

Positioning Mothersbaugh as a pivotal figure in the history of both contemporary art and indie culture, this exhibition and accompanying book help us understand the artist’s individual work, the creative vision behind a popular yet largely misunderstood band, and Mothersbaugh’s role in the emergence of contemporary culture, including punk rock and even today’s street artists.

Mothersbaugh met Devo co-founders Jerry Casale and Bob Lewis at Kent State in 1972. The band would evolve through various genres, creating hits such as “Whip It,” as well as helping to popularize music videos as a creative format. As a solo musician, Mothersbaugh has also scored many of director Wes Anderson’s movies, including The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic and Rushmore. His music has also been featured in the TV show Rugrats and The Lego Movie.

Mark Mothersbaugh: Myopia will be on display from September 25, 2015 to January 9, 2016. The exhibit is curated by Adam Lerner of the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver.

This exhibition was made possible by U.S. Bank and ArtsWave