INDIANAPOLIS, IN.- Colorful paintings transform into mesmerizing video animations in the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s exhibition, Jacco Olivier: Liquid Painting, Liquid Time, now on display in the June M. McCormack Forefront Galleries.

Liquid Painting, Liquid Time is Olivier’s first solo exhibition in a major U.S. art museum. Although he works in the medium of video, Olivier views himself first and foremost as a painter. His unique artistic process combines the two mediums. The artist creates enthralling pieces that merge traditional painting techniques with photography and video animation. These painterly videos present a variety of subjects, from intimate scenes of daily life to captivating landscapes and abstract visions. Liquid Painting, Liquid Time showcases nine of Olivier’s vibrant video animations, with some works featuring everyday sounds and musical accompaniment.

“What I find exceptional about Olivier’s videos is how they immediately captivate,” said Tricia Y. Paik, the IMA’s curator of contemporary art. “When encountering his vibrantly colored animations, people stop, slow down, and take time to watch them. In the day of 6-second videos and 140-character messages, such an experience is becoming more novel and I believe more needed than ever before.”

Exhibition highlights include Revolution (2010), the largest video projection on view. Olivier has transformed colorful brushstrokes and daubs of paint into a sky filled with planets, shooting stars and distant galaxies. The video—which lasts 24 minutes—represents one day in the life of this imagined universe. In contrast, Rabbit Hole (2011) features a smaller, abstract world that propels the viewer into a dizzying tunnel of swirling color and shapes. Installed on the floor, the physical experience of looking downward to watch the video emphasizes the visual parallel of falling deep into the proverbial rabbit hole.

To create an intriguing dialogue between the old and the new, Paik and The Wood-Pulliam Senior Curator at the IMA, Ellen Lee, have included a late 19th-century painting from the IMA’s collection, Farmyard at Le Pouldu (about 1892), by Dutch artist Jan Verkade.

“While inserting contemporary art within historical galleries has now become a popular practice in many museums, I thought it would be intriguing to do the reverse,” said Paik. “Although there are great differences between these two Dutch artists, what is readily noticeable is the ongoing Dutch appreciation of the landscape. After experiencing Olivier’s 21st-century videos of moving landscapes, I hope our audiences will be inspired to see other paintings in our collection by Olivier’s artistic forebears.”

The Museum will also host an animation and comics-themed Family Day celebration on March 5 in conjunction with the exhibition. The event is open to the public and features comic book making, stop motion filming and screen picks from the New York International Children’s Film Festival.