Into the Mix
4 February–14 April 2012
Opening:
Friday, 3 February, 5–10pm
Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft
715 West Main Street
Louisville, KY 40202
Janine Antoni
Christopher Cozier
Blue Curry
Carlos Gámez de Francisco
Marlon Griffith
Sofia Maldonado
Wendy Nanan
Ebony G. Patterson
Sheena Rose
Heino Schmid
Text by Nicholas Laughlin
Curated by Aldy Milliken
Interactive Design object by Marlon Darbeau and Christopher Cozier
Discussion Saturday, February 4, 2012 4:00–6:00pm: Elaine Chao Auditorium in Ekstrom Library, University of Louisville, Contemporary Art from a Caribbean Perspective: Discussion with artists Blue Curry, Marlon Griffith and Sofia Maldonado; moderated by Nicholas Laughlin. Co-sponsored with LALS.
Discussion with Christopher Cozier, Ebony G. Patterson, and Courtney J. Martin, PhD Vanderbilt, TBA
What matters today is to translate the cultural values of cultural groups and to connect them to the world network. This “reloading process” of modernism according to the twenty-first-century issues could be called altermodernism, a movement connected to the creolization of cultures and the fight for autonomy, but also the possibility of producing singularities in a more and more standardized world.
—Nicolas Bourriaud, French curator/critic
The Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft is proud to present Into the Mix, a conversation about how materiality addresses the complexities of cultural stereotypes in an exhibition featuring 10 Caribbean artists. Their artwork takes on new meanings in a context where cultural history is influenced by outside migrating populations, colonial governments, tourists and the popular culture machine. In many societies, craft and hand-worked items help establish a culture of self-worth in the minds of the local population. The creation of these objects is influenced by the economic opportunity presented through tourism, yet souvenirs represent the visitor’s interests and are taken out of context.
What is cultural authenticity and who decides what is truly a significant representation of a culture? It is up to contemporary artists and artisans to communicate their intentions and shape the framework in which their work is perceived. The Museum explores ideas from a variety of perspectives that describe the historical, conceptual, and aesthetic nature of the art works as singular vignettes not as sweeping generalizations.
Furthering the conversation of what is culturally authentic, this exhibition reveals how disparate artists from the Caribbean connect with each other in a virtual world that has no boundaries. Through E-Catalogues by Draconian Switch and Richard Rawlins the show will develop written texts with the artists, blog comments, and include pictures from reviews, interventions, happenings, and discussions that happen in Louisville and other regions of the world during the 10 weeks.
During the opening week from January 30th to February 4th, several artists in the exhibition will be in Louisville creating their works, interacting with students and museum visitors, doing artist talks, and making performances. In collaboration with this exhibition, Carlos Gámez de Francisco will be in the Steve Wilson Gallery as artist-in-residence, working on his newest series of paintings.
Please check the Museum events page for times and further details. www.kentuckyarts.org
This exhibition was generously supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, Brown-Forman, D.D. Williamson, Fund for the Arts, the Kentucky Arts Council, USA Print.com, and other donors who wish to remain anonymous.
Thank you to Magasin 3, Stockholm, Coulson and Voges Collection, Bahamas, Alice Yard, Trinidad, University of Louisville Latin American and Latino Studies Program, and University of Kentucky for making this exhibition possible.