At once ordinary and magical, whimsical and cerebral, BodySpace is an adventurous contemporary art exhibition that brings together the provocative and exciting work of nine internationally recognized artists.
At once ordinary and magical, whimsical
and cerebral, BodySpace is an
adventurous contemporary art exhibition
that brings together the provocative and
exciting work of nine internationally
recognized artists.
From a full-scale silk replica of a traditional
18th-century Korean home to a beaded
curtain that evokes shimmering water as
well as the swinging '60s, these large
three-dimensional works blur the
boundaries between art and craft,
industrial and handmade, public and
private, visual and experiential, and the
body and its physical surroundings.
Featuring recent work by Robert Gober,
Sowon Kwon, Claudia Matzko, Josiah
McElheny, Ernesto Neto, Cady Noland,
David Schafer, Do-Ho Suh, and Felix
Gonzalez-Torres, BodySpace explores the
use of the body as a way to understand
the world around us and prompts visitors
to use their senses as a means of
perceiving their surroundings and
acquiring knowledge. In fact, two of the
artworks in BodySpace may be touched,
and even entered, by the viewer, breaking
down the "do not touch" barrier of many
museums.
BodySpace illustrates the tremendous
influence of the minimalist movement on
contemporary art. The artists featured in
BodySpace embrace the 1960s minimalist
concept that an important aspect of art is
an intricate relationship between art object
and viewer.
In conjunction with the opening of
BodySpace, the BMA has thoughtfully
reinstalled several galleries in the West
Wing for Contemporary Art, taking the
opportunity to showcase prominent
minimalist figures like Donald Judd and
John McCracken as precursors to many of
today's most ambitious artists.
A reading room in the last gallery of BodySpace will provide an
opportunity for visitors to peruse articles and reviews of the artists'
work. To shed light on the creative process, each of the artists has
selected books and stories that influenced their work, or simply
hold great meaning for them. Preliminary drawings and works on
paper for several objects in the exhibition will also be highlighted in
this reading room to provide insight into the ways in which ideas
and themes subtly change when they are expressed in different
mediums.
This exhibition is curated by the BMA's Curator of Contemporary Art, Helen
Molesworth.
BodySpace is generously sponsored by T. Rowe Price Associates Foundation, Inc.
Additional funding is provided by Suzanne F. Cohen and the Peter Norton Family
Foundation.
Programs
Meet the Artists at FREESTYLE 6:30 p.m. Don't miss hearing the
contemporary artists in BodySpace talking about their work at
FREESTYLE this spring.
March 1: Claudia Matzko, Do-Ho Suh, and David Schafer
April 5: Sowon Kwon and Josiah McElheny
Image: David Schafer. Stepped Density I.
2000. Collection the Artist, Los Angeles.
HOURS Museum
Wednesday - Friday, 11 a.m - 5 p.m.,
Saturday - Sunday, 11 a.m - 6 p.m.
FREESTYLE, First Thursday evening of each month, 5 - 9 p.m.
Closed Monday, Tuesday, New Year's Day, July 4, Thanksgiving,
Christmas.
The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore, Maryland 21218-3898