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Art:21 Screening: Ecology

Art in the Twenty-First Century

Friday, October 12, 12:00 p.m.

Catherine Sullivan
Ice Floes of Franz Joseph Land (detail), production still, 2003
Five channels shot on 16 mm film transferred to video, projected from DVD, 21 min 48 sec per channel, black and white, silent
© Catherine Sullivan, courtesy the artist

The Gallery of Contemporary Art, UCCS is proud to parter with Art21 the leading contemporary art documentary series to preview the fourth season of Art:21-Art in the Twenty-First Century for the Pikes Peak region.

Art21 travels across the country and abroad to film 17 contemporary artists, from painters and sculptors to photographers and filmmakers, in their own spaces and in their own words. The result is a rare opportunity for television viewers to experience first-hand the complex artistic process – from inception to finished product – behind some of today’s most thought-provoking art.

The artists profiled in the series speak directly to the audience, describing their passions, impulses and methods. Viewers are invited behind-the-scenes to see artists at work in their studios, homes, communities, and in sites as diverse as an old-growth forest near Seattle, a military base in California, a theater academy in Warsaw, and a film set, in addition to galleries and museums.

“This series not only showcases the contributions of these artists, but also transcends the everyday art experience of a museum or gallery visit,” says Susan Sollins, Executive Producer of the series. “Viewers can discover what goes on inside the minds of these dynamic and thoughtful people, and what they have to say can significantly expand our knowledge and understanding of the world.”

As in the previous three seasons of Art:21–Art in the Twenty-First Century, each hour-long episode of Season 4 is loosely structured around a theme that unifies the individual artists – as diverse as their mediums may be. Season 4 episodes of Art:21–Art in the Twenty-First Century include the themes of Ecology, Paradox, Protest, and Romance. The Gallery will premiere two of the four new episodes - one on Friday during lunch and the other Friday evening.

EPISODE 3: Ecology

This program introduces viewers to four artists whose works pose questions about the relationships between
nature and culture.

Ursula von Rydingsvard works primarily with cedar to create large scale structures. Drawing from her
childhood memories of growing up in WWII Polish refugee camps, she creates massive wooden sculptures, which
often resemble bowls, tools, and walls, and echo the raw, wooden barracks in which her family was forced to live.
Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle’s technologically sophisticated sculptures and video installations employ natural forms such
as clouds and icebergs, as well as objects including an umbrella and bullfight ring, as metaphors for understanding
difficult social issues from immigration and gun violence to human cloning. For photographer Robert Adams,
inspiration comes from the American West. Through his compelling black and white images, he documents scenes
and landscapes – from a stripped forest to a sprawling suburban neighborhood – that are beautiful yet disturbing and
strike a balance between sober documentation and somber indignation. Mark Dion lives amongst “the world of stuff,”
collecting materials from flea markets and yard sales for his installations and public projects, many of which explore
our ideas and assumptions about nature. Inspired and intrigued by scientists, natural history museums and laboratory
procedures, Dion’s works include an elaborate Vivarium in Seattle for which he constructed a greenhouse to protect
and keep alive a fallen tree and its surroundings – a tribute to and appreciation for the complexities of our natural
system.

Permit parking restriction are in full effect for the screening of Episode 3: Ecology. Pay parking is available for visitors in the parking structure to the west of the Gallery or in Lot 1.

EPISODE 4: Paradox

The final episode of the series showcases five artists who, through uniquely different styles of work, address
and respond to contradiction, conflict and ambiguity, and examine the relationship between mystery and meaning in
art.

Mark Bradford uses signage and advertisements scavenged from the street to create wall-sized collages
which respond to the impromptu networks that emerge within a city, such as underground economies, immigrant
communities, or the use of abandoned public space. In his films, Bradford captures and documents the cultural,
political and racial conditions of an urban environment. Catherine Sullivan’s anxiety-inducing films and live
performances reveal the degree to which everyday gestures and emotional states are scripted and performed,
questioning the border between innate and learned behavior. Influenced by the work of artists such as Mark
Rothko and his own love of jazz and bebop, Robert Ryman is well-known for his work with white paint on square
forms, which reveals the nuances of the surface. His paintings are characterized by their subtlety, as they explore
the distinction between art as an object or surface, sculpture or painting, and emphasize the role that perception
and context play in creating an aesthetic experience. Collaborators Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla draw
inspiration from their belief that art can function as a catalyst for social change, and their works – which include
sculpture, video documentation and public installations – often solicit active participation and critical responses
from their viewers. They approach visual art as a set of experiments that test whether concepts such as authorship,
nationality, borders, and democracy adequately describe today’s increasingly global society.

Permit parking restriction will be lifted for the screening of Episode 4: Paradox in Lot 1 only.

Season Preview

Season 4 of Art:21–Art in the Twenty-First Century, the only prime time national television series to focus exclusively on contemporary art and artists, will premiere with Episode One on Sunday, October 28 at 10:00 p.m. (ET) on PBS, with three remaining one-hour episodes airing over the next three consecutive Sundays: November 4, 11 and 18 (check local listings). Through in-depth profiles and interviews, the four-part series will reveal the inspiration, vision and techniques behind the creative works of some of today’s most accomplished contemporary artists.

This event is part of Art21 Access ‘07, a celebration of contemporary art and creativity at over 300 museums, schools, libraries, art spaces, and community centers, presented by Art21 in partnership with Americans for the Arts during National Arts and Humanities Month.

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