We Are Here
19 Aug 2017 - 01 Apr 2018
Marisol (Marisol Escobar), Six Women, 1965–66. Wood, paint, mirrors, shoes, formica, and plaster; 69 × 105 × 52 in. (175.3 × 266.7 × 132.1 cm). Collection Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, gift of the artist 1968.1. Art © Estate of Marisol Escobar/Licensed by VAGA, New York Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago.
Jeff Koons, Rabbit, 1986. Stainless steel; 41 × 19 × 12 in. (104.1 × 48.3 × 30.5 cm). Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, partial gift of Stefan T. Edlis and H. Gael Neeson, 2000.21. © Jeff Koons Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago.
Jonathas de Andrade, The Fish, 2016. 16 mm transferred to 2k, color, and sound; overall dimensions variable. Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Gift of Mary and Earle Ludgin by exchange, 2017.3.
Francis Bacon, Study for Portrait, 1949. Oil on canvas; 58 13/16 × 51 7/16 in. (149.4 × 130.6 cm). Collection Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, gift of Joseph and Jory Shapiro 1976.44. © The Estate of Francis Bacon. All rights reserved/DACS, London/ARS, New York 2017 Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.
Rashid Johnson, Glass Jaw, 2011. Mirrored tile, black soap, wax, books, shea butter, vinyl album cover, BC radio, oyster shells, and paint; 88 1⁄2 × 118 1⁄2 × 12 in. (224.8 × 301 × 30.5 cm). Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Gift of Mary and Earle Ludgin by exchange, 2012.2 Photo: Martin Parsekian.
Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Group 4 [Convertible Series], 2010. Mirror and reverse glass painting on plaster and wood; overall dimensions variable. Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, gift of the artist in honor of Abolbashar Farmanfarmaian, PHD in Political Sciences, University of Chicago, 1952 and Albert A. Robin Estate by exchange, 2016.18. © 2010 Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.
Eddie Peake, Destroyed By Desire, 2014. Lacquered spray paint on polished stainless steel 39 7/16 × 55 1/16 in. (100.2 × 139.9 cm). Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, gift of Victor and Daniela Gareh, 2016.10. © 2014 Eddie Peake Photo © Eddie Peake (Mark Blower).
Anne Collier, Untitled (Light Years, Douglas Kirkland), 2009. Chromogenic development print; framed: 50 13/16 × 64 9/16 in. (129.1 × 164 cm). Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, gift of Marshall Field’s by exchange, 2014.19 Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago.
WE ARE HERE
19 August 2017– 1 April 2018
In honor of the MCA’s 50th anniversary, the museum presents We Are Here, a major three-part exhibition drawn from the MCA’s collection. We Are Here declares that contemporary art and culture have the power to change the way that we see the world. It considers the role of museums as repositories of knowledge and demonstrates how the collections they build shape art and its history. The exhibition overturns the traditional model of the anniversary exhibition, focusing instead on the relationship between artist and viewer through a series of thematic exhibitions that explore the potential of art to alter our perceptions. The multigenerational artists featured live around the world and work in a broad range of media, including painting, sculpture, installation, sound, film, and video.
I Am You, located on the museum’s second floor, gathers works that question how we relate to and shape our environments. It includes works by recognized artists such as Francis Bacon, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Marisol, and Shirin Neshat, as well as younger artists, such as Jonathas de Andrade and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye—all of whom rely upon personal experiences to illuminate the vastness of contemporary life.
The exhibition continues on the fourth floor, where You Are Here examines how the role of the viewer has changed over time, especially since the 1960s, from passive onlooker to active participant. Artists such as Pierre Huyghe and Robert Morris forge a new physical relationship between the viewer and the art object. Other artists, including Huang Yong-Ping, explore representations of political figures and political power—specifically, how the body may be subjected to power.
Also on the fourth floor, We Are Everywhere, showcases artists who borrow from popular culture—soup cans, movie stills, neon signage, or floor tiles—to critique its workings. Artists such as Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and Bruce Nauman, as well as Chicago Imagists Karl Wirsum and Roger Brown, re-present and reveal social realities that may otherwise go unnoticed. Artists such as Stan Douglas, Cindy Sherman, Gillian Wearing, Jeff Koons, and others have engaged with new forms of media to extend the reach of their own viewpoints and experiences. Barbara Kruger and Lawrence Abu Hamdan further encourage us to think twice about the power structures in which we invest, be they the notion of the state or the corporation.
Together, these three independently curated yet inter-related "chapters" tell an evolving story of contemporary art.
I Am You is organized by José Esparza Chong Cuy, Pamela Alper Associate Curator; You Are Here is organized by Naomi Beckwith, Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator; and We Are Everywhere is organized by Omar Kholeif, Manilow Senior Curator and Director of Global Initiatives, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
I Am You
19 August 2017– 1 April 2018
Sylvia Neil and Daniel Fischel Galleries, 2nd floor
You Are Here
21 October 2017– 28 January 2018
Griffin Galleries of Contemporary Art, 4th floor
We Are Everywhere
21 October 2017– 28 January 2018
Griffin Galleries of Contemporary Art, 4th floor
19 August 2017– 1 April 2018
In honor of the MCA’s 50th anniversary, the museum presents We Are Here, a major three-part exhibition drawn from the MCA’s collection. We Are Here declares that contemporary art and culture have the power to change the way that we see the world. It considers the role of museums as repositories of knowledge and demonstrates how the collections they build shape art and its history. The exhibition overturns the traditional model of the anniversary exhibition, focusing instead on the relationship between artist and viewer through a series of thematic exhibitions that explore the potential of art to alter our perceptions. The multigenerational artists featured live around the world and work in a broad range of media, including painting, sculpture, installation, sound, film, and video.
I Am You, located on the museum’s second floor, gathers works that question how we relate to and shape our environments. It includes works by recognized artists such as Francis Bacon, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Marisol, and Shirin Neshat, as well as younger artists, such as Jonathas de Andrade and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye—all of whom rely upon personal experiences to illuminate the vastness of contemporary life.
The exhibition continues on the fourth floor, where You Are Here examines how the role of the viewer has changed over time, especially since the 1960s, from passive onlooker to active participant. Artists such as Pierre Huyghe and Robert Morris forge a new physical relationship between the viewer and the art object. Other artists, including Huang Yong-Ping, explore representations of political figures and political power—specifically, how the body may be subjected to power.
Also on the fourth floor, We Are Everywhere, showcases artists who borrow from popular culture—soup cans, movie stills, neon signage, or floor tiles—to critique its workings. Artists such as Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and Bruce Nauman, as well as Chicago Imagists Karl Wirsum and Roger Brown, re-present and reveal social realities that may otherwise go unnoticed. Artists such as Stan Douglas, Cindy Sherman, Gillian Wearing, Jeff Koons, and others have engaged with new forms of media to extend the reach of their own viewpoints and experiences. Barbara Kruger and Lawrence Abu Hamdan further encourage us to think twice about the power structures in which we invest, be they the notion of the state or the corporation.
Together, these three independently curated yet inter-related "chapters" tell an evolving story of contemporary art.
I Am You is organized by José Esparza Chong Cuy, Pamela Alper Associate Curator; You Are Here is organized by Naomi Beckwith, Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator; and We Are Everywhere is organized by Omar Kholeif, Manilow Senior Curator and Director of Global Initiatives, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
I Am You
19 August 2017– 1 April 2018
Sylvia Neil and Daniel Fischel Galleries, 2nd floor
You Are Here
21 October 2017– 28 January 2018
Griffin Galleries of Contemporary Art, 4th floor
We Are Everywhere
21 October 2017– 28 January 2018
Griffin Galleries of Contemporary Art, 4th floor