DENVER, CO.- The Denver Art Museum celebrates four exceptional artists during the Biennial of the Americas (Biennial) who will inspire creativity and action based on the 2015 Biennial theme, Now! Partnerships with Museo de las Americas (Museo), Clyfford Still Museum (CSM) and the Biennial feature the works of modern Mexican master Gunther Gerzso as well as Matthew Barney and Jonathan Bepler’s film River of Fundament. A special collaboration with the Biennial and five community organizations also highlights the artwork of mixed-media artist Francisco Alvarado-Juárez.

“The celebration of the Biennial marks the third time the Mile High City will explore the economic and cultural ideas that tie all of the Americas together,” said Christoph Heinrich, Frederick and Jan Mayer Director at the DAM. “We’re pleased to partner with Museo, CSM and the Biennial to be able to feature artists who present thought-provoking, community-inspired work that bring important issues to the forefront.”

The partnership with Museo showcases modernist master Gunther Gerzso (1915–2000), with Gunther Gerzso: A Mexican Master. The exhibition draws inspiration from art history, as well as expresses characteristics of Gerzso’s homeland in Mexico, while also featuring topographies and its pre-Columbian history. The DAM’s presentation of Gerzso’s work highlights some of the artist’s extraordinary paintings from 1960 to 1981 in which he used old-master techniques. Museo’s exhibition will offer a rich selection of sculptures and works on paper.

The DAM also has partnered with the Biennial to feature Francisco Alvarado-Juárez. Born in Honduras, the artist has been based in New York City for more than four decades. Alvarado-Juárez has been working to create a community-driven art project that will debut during the opening week of the Biennial, and will then be on view at the DAM through the end of August. The artwork will incorporate five dynamically shaped panels that will be joined together as one to represent an artwork spanning 12 by 9 feet. Each of the panels featured in the artwork will showcase unique cultural environments representing ecological practices, the vulnerability of the environment, recycling and other related ideas specific to the Denver metro area.

The five organizations contributing to the artwork include RedLine, Sent(a)mental Studios, Downtown Aurora Visual Arts, the Denver Indian Center and Social Change through Art at Metropolitan State University of Denver. All organizations involved reach varying demographics and bring greater awareness to social issues through visual arts. The design of the community artwork has been inspired by Alvarado’s current installation at the DAM, Aqua-Terra / Terra-Aqua, which highlights colorful and whimsical camouflaged paintings of insects and cut paper made from thousands of recycled paper bags, painted and cut by hand by volunteers in the Denver area.

The final partnership involves the DAM, CSM, and the Biennial presenting artist Matthew Barney and composer Jonathan Bepler’s critically acclaimed six-hour epic film, River of Fundament. Announced earlier this spring, this screening will mark the first time the film has played in the Rocky Mountain region. The film will be presented one night only on July 18 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House and features acclaimed actors Ellen Burstyn, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Paul Giamatti, among others.

River of Fundament combines narrative cinema with elements of sculpture, non-traditional opera and performance. Barney and Bepler’s film is loosely based on Norman Mailer’s 1983 novel Ancient Evenings, which follows the cycle of life, death and rebirth. The film debuted in New York in 2014 and has since rarely been seen, screening only at a handful of international film and art festivals. Tickets are $20 for general admission, $15 for DAM and CSM members, and $10 for students.

The artists featured during the Biennial will expose visitors to a deeper understanding of contemporary arts in the Americas through artistic interactions ranging from film to visual art to community expression. Gunther Gerzso: A Mexican Master and a viewing of Alvarado-Juárez’s community art project are free with general admission. In addition, DAM members who present their membership card at Museo will receive half-off general admission; Museo members presenting their membership card at the DAM also will receive half-off general admission.