KATONAH, NY.- The Katonah Museum of Art is presenting the exhibition Object Out Loud: Arman and Nick Cave, the bold pairing of two artistic leaders in a cross-disciplinary and cross-generational dialogue, on view from October 15, 2017 through January 7, 2018. This museum-wide exhibition features over twenty works of sculpture, film, and photography that exemplify two distinct, spectacular visions.
Nick Cave is a leading contemporary artist whose interest in both performance and sculpture results in stunning, often fanciful works, while Arman, who plucked his materials off the streets and sidewalks of the city, trolls in the familiar residue of everyday life. Both work through a process of aggregation and addition, creating densely-layered and often magical compositions. Object Out Loud captures the common visual power of their works, and the thread of protest – to object is to resist – that fuels their work with meaning and social commentary.
“Object Out Loud bridges two generations by bringing leading artists—Arman and Nick Cave—into lively dialogue with one another,” says KMA Executive Director Darsie Alexander. “Their shared love of objects found in popular culture makes their work visually arresting and intellectually satisfying, full of rich associations and symbolic meaning.”
The French-American artist, Arman, was a leading figure of 1960s Nouveau Réalisme, which re-envisioned “realism” as a byproduct of everyday experience that could encompass live performance, artworks made from found materials, and social events. Arman embraced the refuse of material culture and used its elements, from trash and tools to old musical instruments, to piece together sculptures with an anti-establishment spirit. In this exhibition, a selection of his works is situated within the larger social unrest that fueled the 1968 mass protests in France. Cave’s fantastical Soundsuits originated in response to the 1991 assault of Rodney King and the consequent uprisings in Los Angeles. His garments and lavish sculptures—constructed out of materials such as yarn, toys, ceramic birds, chains, and figurines—often function as symbols of human empowerment envisioned as protection against injustice and society’s ills.
The exhibition is accompanied by live performances that allude to the themes of sound and action that are visible in both artists’ work. The Brooklyn-based sculptor and performance artist Tamar Ettun presents a multidisciplinary performance in which vast colors, inflatables, sound, and dance collide to create an immersive psychological landscape. The artist and dancers of The Moving Company will join forces—further reinforcing the exhibition’s visual and political themes—on Sunday, November 5 at 3:00 PM.
The exhibition was developed by Executive Director Darsie Alexander and Dolmatch Fellow Olga Dekalo, with Associate Curator Elizabeth Rooklidge.
