The Imaginary Qualities of Actual Thigs
Aug 22nd 2008 - Jan 4th 2009
Price Water Tower Arts Centre, Oklahoma
With the world going ‘green’ and curiosity converging on the impact of human consumption and squander, Price Tower Arts Center in Bartlesville, Oklahoma is initiating a conversation through art about the environmental impact of today’s society. The exhibition entitled, Imaginative Qualities of Actual Things, will explore the new world of object reassignment, presenting creative repurposed or ‘upcycled’ objects that both stretch the imagination and suggest how to reduce the impact on the environment. From repurposed puzzle pieces on wallpaper to oversized photographs showing the massive disposal of cell phones, this exhibition makes the audience pause in a moment of awe and personal reflection. This inaugural exhibition is a part of Price Tower Arts Center’s new Triennial exhibition series, appropriately dubbed 3-logy (pronounced trilogy), which will examine international contemporary artwork produced or manufactured in the last three years.
With over 30 objects on display, contemporary artists like El Anatsui from Nigeria, Tracy Kendall and Kate Goldsworthy from Great Britain, Volksware from Germany, Anke Weiss from the Netherlands, Miwa Koizumi from Japan, Zac Freeman from Florida, and Jil Weinstock from New York will be represented at Price Tower Arts Center, 510 Dewey Avenue, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, from August 22, 2008 to January 6, 2009
Many of the artists featured are exploring the manipulation of common objects to create secondary functions and works of art, for example, El Anatsui’s Detrius series, 2007-2008, a textile-like piece made of recycled wine bottle wrappers. Everyday objects such as puzzle pieces, electronic parts, VHS tapes, old clothing, books, newspapers, and even skyscrapers are rousing artists and designers to convey new ideas and fresh perspectives into issues of production, display, decoration and use.
http://www.pricetower.org/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions/index.cfm?eid=209