Exhibitions Chicago. Gordon Matta-Clark: You Are the Measure. The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. The Curated Object

The Curated Object

THE CURATED OBJECT is a NON-PROFIT project offering a comprehensive list of DECORATIVE ARTS and DESIGN EXHIBITIONS. Readers can search according to the CITY, COUNTRY OR OPENING MONTHS of the exhibition. Please contact editorial director, Joanne Molina, to submit exhibition material Joanne@CuratedObject.us

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The Curated Object would like to take a moment to extend our gratitude to the editors at THE MAGAZINE ANTIQUES for adding us to their online resources. For years we have been enamored with their intellectual and aesthetic prowess and are always inspired by their commitment to cultural education. And as a not-for-profit venture we appreciate the kind gesture, which means much more than they probably know. We humbly offer our thanks.

We are so grateful to Regina Yunghans Kraus at APARTMENT THERAPY who found a moment to stop by and pen her thoughts: "Design inspiration for those of us who are "interested in decorative objects and those who find our engagement with them compelling," The Curated Object is a one-stop shop listing current decorative arts and design exhibitions. The blog also serves as an incredibly inspiring little browsing experience that's proven to be an awesome resource of beautiful design objects that inspire. The following is just our further curated selection from their already well-curated objects"
Our hearts pounded when we read our review in ZINK MAGAZINE's Design Issue "It's the latest cyberporn for design voyeurs: The much-anticipated site The Curated Object is where journalists, curators and lovers of expertly executed objects are finding the latest design and decorative arts exhibitions to ogle. Consider yourself addicted."
From JEN RENZI, the fabulous EDITOR at GLAMNEST : "I just discovered this site and I’m already hooked. Devoted to the decorative arts, it has a comprehensive international calendar of design goings-on (like the Mint Museum’s cut-glass show, below), great reviews of said shows (with tons of photos, just in case you can’t see in person), and a bazillion links to indispensible design resources. I even love the shout-outs from esteemed designerati on the site’s left-hand nav! It’s a juicy gallery guide–and so much more."
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“If you’re like me, you find great pleasure in seeing interesting objects and physical forms. Throughout my screen-laden days, I take great joy in experiencing the effects of beautifully (or peculiarly) defined shapes, materials and textures. It may be a tightly woven coaster made of reclaimed Chinese magazines or the beautiful curves and weight of highly designed teapot that gives some very concrete solace. Sometimes the variety, rarity, expense or circumstances of great objects make them difficult to have close enough to be appreciated. Thankfully, a wonderfully robust resource just made its way to my inbox and I couldn’t be happier. The Curated Object is an extremely rich listing of object-centric exhibitions around the world, from archeological to artistic, functional to superfluous. I’m looking forward to Silversmiths To The Nation. – RANDY J. HUNT, Founder and Proprietor of CITIZEN SCHOLAR
What surrounds us, especially what we choose to be surrounded by, composes our memory palaces. The Curated Object reminds us of the wonder of things, their character and craft, and their unselfish sense of time and place. It is a rich resource worth revisiting to help gain the kind of orientation that only objects provide.--NATE BURGOS, Designer, Writer, Collector, Founder of DESIGN FEAST
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NATALIE FASANO, CONTRIBUTOR
Natalie Fasano is a freelance writer based in New York City. Though her event coverage has included a variety of social, political and cultural subjects, her interest in focusing on the Arts began recently, at the opening of the Ron Arad: “No Discipline” exhibition at the MOMA. Natalie focuses on in-depth interviews with artists to accompany objective discussion of his or her work, and believes strongly in the highly intellectual and stimulating social sphere fostered by the international artistic community and its patrons. A truly successful event is always greater than the sum of its parts--the piece, the artist and the voyeuristic visitor--and Natalie takes great pleasure in seeking, throughout the course of an evening, an overarching theme that contributes to our modern understanding of Western society and culture. You can reach her at natalie.fasano @zinkmediagroup.com
JOANNE MOLINA, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
I'm interested in exploring how aesthetic theory and design/art criticism offer critical vocabularies for thinking about objects, architecture and space. What's important to me is supporting interesting people, projects and reading good books. As senior arts + culture editor at Interiors magazine, I worked with internationally renown chefs, designers and freelance writers to create essays on travel, cuisine, and the arts. I did my graduate work in philosophy and aesthetics and taught at DePaul University. I am a former co-editor with Mark Wallace of the language and post-language poetry journal, SITUATION and edited the chapbook series, Propjet.
ELIZABETH "Cappi" WILLIAMSON, SENIOR EDITOR
Cappi’s love for design began at Southern Accents magazine, which lead to a post at Interior Design magazine, as well as freelance writing assignments for magazines such as Interiors. She has also written on books, cultural events, and all things New York for web sites like Flavorpill and WhereTraveler. She is based in New York City and can be reached at cappi.williamson@gmail.com.
JOANN GRECO, SENIOR EDITOR
JoAnn has been writing on art and design for twenty years and she is editor of THECITYTRAVELER . As a former contributing editor to Art & Antiques, she covered topics as diverse as artists books, Hokusai prints, and Emilie Galle vases. In addition to covering crafts, jewelry, collectibles, interior design, and architecture for Conde Nast Portfolio, Metropolis, Interiors, Philadelphia Home and Garden, American Style, Romantic Homes, Seven Arts and Kyoto Journal, her articles on travel, business and lifestyle subjects have appeared everywhere from National Geographic Traveler to Washington Post, from Woman's Day to A&E Monthly. She can be reached at jphila@aol.com and JOANNGRECO.COM

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Gordon Matta-Clark, Circus or The Caribbean Orange, January 1978, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Photo by Tom Van Eynde. © Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark.

Gordon Matta-Clark, Artist's paste-up for MCA Exhibition catalogue 'Circus', 1978. Collection Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Gift of the artist. © Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark.

Gordon Matta-Clark, Circus or the Caribbean Orange, 1978. Collection Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Restricted gift of Mr. and Mrs. E.A. Bergman and Lewis and Susan Manilow. © Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark.

Gordon Matta-Clark and crew installing Circus or The Caribbean Orange, January 1978, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Photo by Tom Van Eynde. © Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark. Courtesy MCA Chicago.

Gordon Matta-Clark and crew installing Circus or The Caribbean Orange, January 1978, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Photo by Tom Van Eynde. © Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark. Courtesy MCA Chicago.

Gordon Matta-Clark and crew installing Circus or The Caribbean Orange, January 1978, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Photo by Tom Van Eynde. © Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark. Courtesy MCA Chicago.

Gordon Matta-Clark and crew installing Circus or The Caribbean Orange, January 1978, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Photo by Tom Van Eynde. © Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark. Courtesy MCA Chicago.

Gordon Matta-Clark, Office Baroque, 1977. The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. © Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark. Courtesy The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

Gordon Matta-Clark,Splitting 10 & 11, 1975. Photograph by Sheldan C. Collins.© Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark. Courtesy David Zwirner, New York.

Gordon Matta-Clark, Untitled, 1973. © Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark. Courtesy David Zwirner, New York.

Gordon Matta-Clark, Bronx Floors: Threshold (Boston Post Road, Bronx), 1973. Photograph by Sheldan C. Collins. © Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark. Courtesy David Zwirner, New York.

Gordon Matta-Clark, Untitled (Tree forms), 1971. Estate of Horace H. Solomon
© Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark. Courtesy Generali Foundation, Vienna.

Gordon Matta-Clark and friends performing for Tree Dance at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York, 1971. © Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark. Courtesy David Zwirner, New York.

Tina Girouard, Carol Goodden, and Gordon Matta-Clark in front of Food restaurant, Prince Street at Wooster Street, New York, 1971. Photograph by Richard Landry, alteration by Gordon Matta-Clark. © Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark. Courtesy David Zwirner, New York.

Gordon Matta-Clark, Hair, 1972 (detail). Photographs by Carol Goodden. © Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark. Courtesy David Zwirner, New York.

Gordon Matta-Clark: You Are the Measure
Feb 2-May 4, 2008

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Chicago, presents Gordon Matta-Clark: “You Are the
Measure,” a full-scale retrospective of one of the key figures to emerge in the generation of artists that followed Minimalism from February 2 to May 4, 2008. The son of Surrealist painter Roberto Matta Echaurren, Gordon Matta-Clark (1943-78) produced an oeuvre of remarkable breadth, incorporating spatial, social, and psychological experiences. The exhibition celebrates Matta-Clark’s brilliance and the radical nature of his work in a number of different media: drawings, films, photographs, notebooks, and sculptures assembled from his acclaimed building cuts. A wealth of documentary material related to his interactions with architecture and space, community events, and collective activity is also included.

Curated by the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Elisabeth Sussman, the MCA’s presentation is
organized by Curator Lynne Warren. “We are thrilled to see the return of Matta-Clark’s work to the MCA and the city of Chicago,” says Lynne Warren. “Matta-Clark’s compelling, provocative work has continued to exert a profound influence on generations of art enthusiasts.”

The exhibition opens on February 2, 2008, exactly thirty years to the day when Matta-Clark completed his first Chicago work for the MCA, titled Circus or The Caribbean Orange. For this piece, the artist carved large circular holes in the walls, ceilings, and floors of the four-story brick building that became the annex for the former MCA building, used to house the museum’s collection. This was Matta-Clark’s last project before his death in August, 1978, from pancreatic cancer.

Matta-Clark is best known for his “building cuts” -- such as the MCA’s Circus -- wherein he excised
portions of walls and floors to create variously shaped voids in abandoned or soon-to-be demolished buildings to create spatial conditions that would radically alter the perception of the building and its surrounding environment, resulting in the shift of everyday experience into extraordinary visual and kinetic confrontations.

“With his building cuts Matta-Clark challenged his audiences to question the relationship between the constructive and destructive. For his work at the MCA in 1978, Matta-Clark exposed the foundation and substance of what had been an entirely conventional space creating an entirely new and extraordinary visual experience,” says MCA Curator Lynne Warren.

Gordon Matta-Clark studied architecture at Cornell University but never practiced conventionally as a professional. Instead, he married the idea of art and architecture to develop his artistic process. In the early 1970s, Matta-Clark was interested in the idea of entropy, metamorphic gaps, and leftover/ambiguous space, what he called “Anarchitecture.” He had come to see buildings, rooms, urban spaces, neighborhoods, and places where people gather as situations in which his planned “interventions” could create something new.

As exhibition curator Elisabeth Sussman describes in the accompanying exhibition catalogue, “You Are the Measure, plays on the ancient Greek formula ‘Man is the measure,’ substituting a 1970s subjectivity for a time-honored universal...Matta-Clark’s ad hoc anarchitectural ideas were funny, poetic, and the artist hoped, radically different from then-current social and architectural realities. He believed that, in any architectural program, plan for life, plan for community, or plan for art, what must come first and foremost is the ‘you’ – the individual.”

For more information please visit: The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

-Joanne Molina

Comments

Urban Alchemy/Gordon Matta-Clark opens
October 30, 2009, at the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts.

please visit our website at: http://mattaclark.pulitzerarts.org.

Posted by: Amy | 2009.10.22 at 02:20 PM

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