David Adamo
Alejandro Almanza Pereda
Daniel Arsham
Phil Bender
Devon Dikeou
Humberto Duque
Brett Kashmere
Catherine Opie
Helmut Smits
Ana Soler
Adam Stamp
Kehinde Wiley
Ruth Bruno
Cortney Lane Stell
The exhibition presents works by twelve artists who take a reflective, and often critical, look at competitive sports. The works in this exhibition impact broad audiences as sports influence our lives in many ways, from how we spend our leisure time, to how we spend our money, to how we create and define our individual and collective identities.
curated by Ruth Bruno and Cortney Lane Stell
Boulder, CO – Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (BMoCA) announces its summer 2014
exhibition Game Changer, guest curated by Ruth Bruno and Cortney Lane Stell. On view July 17-
September 14, 2014, Game Changer presents works by twelve artists who take a reflective, and
often critical, look at competitive sports. The works in this exhibition impact broad audiences as
sports influence our lives in many ways, from how we spend our leisure time, to how we spend our
money, to how we create and define our individual and collective identities.
Game Changer examines how artists address and incorporate the aesthetics, rules, and cultural
significance of sports into their work. Combining a broad range of media, including video, sculpture,
photography, and large-scale, site-specific installations, the exhibition uses the ubiquity of competitive
sports to show the ways contemporary artists interpret the world around us. The exhibition features the
work of David Adamo (New York/Germany), Alejandro Almanza Pereda (Mexico), Daniel Arsham (New
York), Phil Bender (Denver), Devon Dikeou (Denver/New York), Humberto Duque (Mexico), Brett
Kashmere (Pittsburgh), Catherine Opie (Los Angeles), Helmut Smits (Netherlands), Ana Soler (Spain),
Adam Stamp (Los Angeles), and Kehinde Wiley (New York/China).
The works on view in Game Changer address sports from diverse perspectives, but common themes
emerge. Adamo and Almanza Pereda, for example, both showcase modifications that render games
impossible to win, thus removing their competitive element. Bender and Soler similarly engage with
sports and sporting equipment on a purely formal level, showcasing sporting goods as objects stripped
of their functionality and interpreted for their formal beauty alone. Additionally, the works on view by
Kashmere, Opie, and Wiley focus on the athlete’s body or persona, emphasizing the commercialization
of the athlete’s body as an object of performance and desire, or the notions of ownership that fans
develop for their favorite players.
Among the exhibition’s highlights are Opie’s enigmatic portraits of young athletes posturing with all of
the confidence of their professional idols; the Pompeii-ash-like sculptures of baseball mitts by Arsham,
resembling relics; and Smits’ video projection of a soccer game in which the grass field is a green
screen displaying advertisements, foregrounding the thin line between sports and commercialism.
Game Changer sheds light on the potential of art to foster critical contemplation and new possibilities in
relation to familiar aspects of the world around us. These artworks elucidate that the world is more
complex than the clear-cut parameters of recognizable social structures, reminding us that within every
ruled system there exists potential for creativity and exploration. Through the use of familiar sports
vocabulary, the works bring to light the aesthetic, ritualistic, and value-reinforcing power of sports.
Artist list
David Adamo (b. 1979, Rochester, NY)
Lives and works in Berlin, Germany
Alejandro Almanza Pereda (b. 1977, Mexico City, Mexico)
Lives and works in New York, NY and Mexico City
Daniel Arsham (b. 1980, Cleveland, OH)
Lives and works in New York, NY
Phil Bender (b. 1947, St. Louis, MO)
Lives and works in Denver, CO
Devon Dikeou (b. 1963, Denver, CO)
Lives and works in Denver, CO, New York, NY, and Austin, TX
Humberto Duque (b. 1978, Mexico City, Mexico)
Lives and works in Mexico City
Brett Kashmere (b. 1977, in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada)
Lives and works in Pittsburgh, PA
Catherine Opie (b. 1961, Sandusky, OH)
Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA
Helmut Smits (b. 1974, Roosendaal, Netherlands)
Lives and works in Rotterdam, Netherlands
Ana Soler (b. 1972, Seville, Spain)
Lives and works in Seville
Adam Stamp (b. 1985, Pittsburgh, PA)
Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA
Kehinde Wiley (b. 1977, Los Angeles, CA)
Lives and works in New York, NY and Beijing, China
Related Programs
Summer Games
July 24, July 31, and August 7
6-8:30pm
Free / for all ages
BMoCA presents a series of free outdoor events and games for all ages and abilities on three
consecutive Thursday evenings this summer. Each Summer Game invites all members of our
community to enjoy games with artistic interventions, food trucks, art-making for all ages, and local
breweries in the heart of downtown Boulder. Summer Games activities will be held in BMoCA, Boulder’s
Central Park, Civic Plaza, and along 13 Street between Arapahoe Avenue and Canyon Boulevard.
Summer Games will include a large-scale Ping-Pong tournament, trivia, yoga, a volleyball-dodgeball
mash-up, and lawn sports. Additionally, each event will feature BMoCA’s popular Art Stop, art-making
for youth and families; free screen-printing workshops inside the museum; music; and artist
interventions. BMoCA will extend its gallery hours and offer free admission so that visitors can explore
the summer exhibition Game Changer.
Summer Games 2014 Schedule
Summer Game I
July 24, 6-8:30pm
Street Ping Pong & Trivia
The kick-off Summer Games event will fill 13 Street in front of BMoCA with Ping-Pong tables ready for
you to play! Register online to enter the Ping-Pong tournament and win a prize. The municipal plaza
area will feature trivia designed to test your knowledge of Boulder, sports, and art. Bring a t-shirt, and
you can screen-print your very own Summer Games jersey.
Game I will feature Blackbelly Food Truck and Avery Brewing.
Summer Game II
July 31, 6-8:30pm
Yoga in the Park
Enjoy a drop-in yoga class led by a yoga instructor from Gaiam, Inc. in Civic Center Park. Be aware,
some of these yoga moves are straight from the minds of artists! Gaiam, Inc., a locally owned and
operated healthy lifestyle business, has donated a limited number of yoga mats available for the first to
arrive. Please remember to bring a yoga mat if you have your own!
Game II will feature Blackbelly Food Truck and BRU hand-built ales and eats.
Summer Game III
August 7, 6-8:30pm
Games Super Finale feat. Volleyball, dodgeball, and bocci ball
Join us for the Summer Games Super Finale where the sports you know best take new
shape. Volleyball and dodgeball will take place simultaneously on one court. Artist-designed chess
tables will redefine the beloved classic. Bocci ball, cornhole, and croquet will inspire new experiences of
the terrain in Civic Center Park.
Game III will feature McDevitt Taco Supply and Sanitas Brewing Company.
*Summer Games Warm-Up Run, July 24, July 31, and August 7, 6:30am
Join BMoCA staff and Newton Running every morning before Summer Games for a pre-game run.
Summer Games has been created in partnership with the City of Boulder Parks and Recreation
Department. Visit bmoca.org or call 303.443.2122 for more information about Summer Games.
Expert Talk
Thursday, August 14
6-8:30pm
$8 / free for members
What do artists expose about the world of athletics? What similarities exist between artists and
athletes? Explore these questions and more in a conversation with Game Changer exhibiting artist Phil
Bender, ultra-runner Scott Jurek, and a Denver Broncos Cheerleader. Kirk Ambrose, Editor-in-Chief of
Art Bulletin, will moderate the Expert Talk.
About BMoCA
Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art is a catalyst for creative experiences through the exploration of
significant art of our time.
Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art is located at 1750 13th Street in downtown Boulder, Colorado.
The museum’s hours are Tuesday–Sunday, 11am–5pm; closed Monday. Museum admission is $5 for
adults; $4 for seniors, students, and educators. Free admission to the museum is offered to members
and children under the age of 12. BMoCA offers free admission every Tuesday and on Saturdays from
9am-5pm and Wednesdays from 4pm-8pm during the Boulder Farmers’ Market.
Image: Catherine Opie, Football Landscape #12 (Alice vs. W.B. Ray, Corpus Christi, TX), 2008, C-print, 48 x 64 in. Courtesy Regen Projects, Los Angeles © Catherine Opie
Contact: Jordan Robbins, 303.443.2122, Jordan@bmoca.org
Opening Reception: Thursday, July 17
5:30pm members preview and tour
6:30-9:30pm free public reception
Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art
1750 13th Street - Boulder, CO 80302
Museum & Store Hours
Tues – Sun: 11am – 5pm
Museum admission is $5 for adults; $4 for seniors, students, and educators
Free admission to the museum is offered to members
and children under the age of 12.