Museum of Contemporary Art

Joseph Grigely

22 Nov 2008 - 22 Feb 2009

© Joseph Grigely
Remembering is a difficult job, but somebody has to do it, 2005
Courtesy Air de Paris, Paris
JOSEPH GRIGELY
St. Cecilia

November 22, 2008 - February 22, 2009

Joseph Grigely St. Cecilia presents work from the nearly fifteen-year career of this internationally recognized artist, who is currently living and working in Chicago, and represents the various media with which he works, including video, sound, sculpture, and works on paper, to explore the poignancy and humor of miscommunication.
Grigely (American, b. 1956) explores the nuances between seeing and hearing in a major new video installation, St. Cecilia, which anchors this exhibition. Named after the patron saint of music, the installation features two single channel video projections with footage of the Baltimore Choral Arts Society singing three traditional Christmas carols with new lyrics written by Grigely to convey what he calls "lip misreading" -- identical lip formations that produce dissimilar sounds. The artist's overarching intent is to make works that create a situation where hearing people experience linguistic misunderstandings from a similar point of view as a deaf person, through points of familiarity such as television shows, Christmas carols, and post-it notes.
St. Cecilia was co-organized by the Contemporary Museum, Baltimore, and The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs. Joseph Grigely's new video installation, St. Cecilia, is co-produced by the Contemporary Museum and the Orange County Museum of Art. The MCA presentation is organized by Julie Rodrigues Widholm, Pamela Alper Associate Curator.
 

Tags: Joseph Grigely