AMERICAN IDYLL: CONTEMPORARY ART AND KARAOKE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24 – September 8, 2008 Opening Night May 23, 7-11 pm
CINCINNATI—Contemporary Arts Center announces American Idyll: Contemporary Art and Karaoke headlining its summer exhibition season in the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art, on view May 24 through August 31, 2008. American Idyll presents multimedia, participatory artworks and full-scale, site-specific, karaoke installations celebrating the human performative impulse. Participating artists include Phil Collins, David Herbert, Christian Jankowski, Candice Breitz, Marisa Olson and other international artists. Assistant Curator Maiza Hixson curates this exhibition that invites visitors to experience the impact of popular culture on artistic expression.
“American Idyll will be a fun, participatory, engaging, interactive show, bringing Level 4 to life,” says Raphaela Platow, Alice & Harris Weston and Chief Curator. “The show has a political underpinning and a global reach: karaoke has reached different parts of the world, inspiring and connecting diverse people to each other. American Idyll also investigates people’s fascination and yearning around the cult of the celebrity.“
In addition to the other multimedia works on view, artist Joel Armor has created Walt’s, a site-specific, participatory installation, functioning as an actual, on-site karaoke café. Complete with a disco ball, a cash bar serving “karao-tinis” and playlist of available songs for participants to select and perform, Walt’s provides a literal interpretation of the exhibition’s theme in a museum setting. All are invited to participate as Armor activates the live karaoke experience Monday evenings throughout the run of the exhibition.
“With karaoke, there is no illusion of the real and authentic – the performer knows he or she is not the song’s author, and with this realization comes the necessary and sometimes awkward awareness of oneself as parodying or imitating the real,” Hixson says. “The willingness to perform demonstrates a ready embrace of mimicry in pursuit of a different goal – not to be ‘The Star’ but to reenact a song or spectacle.”
American Idyll provides the visitor numerous opportunities for self-expression in a lively environment with changing audio-visual experiences, where participation is a necessary component.
“Rather than maintaining a quiet, contemplative setting,” Hixson says, “American Idyll will provide CAC visitors with a dynamic, sound and media-rich experience. It will ask the viewer to engage with art and the idea that they complete the work by participating in it. This show’s success relies upon visitor participation.”
Performance artist and University of Cincinnati professor Ryan Mulligan offers his original, one-man “edu-tainment” performance piece I invented a restaurant that only serves side dishes. Mulligan operates as an ADD-addled announcer whose talks are like channel surfing through tele-visual cooking shows and soap operas. “Side dishes are about tight bundles of culinary energy,” he says. Mulligan’s performance is presented opening night and twice during the exhibition in the Performance Space.
The Contemporary Arts Center, celebrating five years in the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art, presents American Idyll as part of its 2008 Summer Exhibition Season. Also on view in Summer 2008 are Uncoordinated: Mapping Cartography in Contemporary Art, FORM: Contemporary Art, An-My Lê: Small Wars and Odili Donald Odita: FLOW. The 2007-08 Season Sponsors are James A. and Mary Miller. The Fine Arts Fund Partner for this exhibition is Procter & Gamble Company. Media Sponsor is CityBeat.
About the Exhibition
American Idyll: Contemporary Art and Karaoke
May 24 – August 31, 2008, Level 4
Artists: Joel Armor, Candice Breitz, Phil Collins, Mark Harris, David Herbert, Mehdi Hercberg (shoboshobo), Christian Jankowski, Ryan Mulligan, Marisa Olson, Reid Radcliffe and Jose Versoza with Bob Kellison, Toma The Great Explorer and Dana Ward.
Events and Public Programming
Friday, May 23 • 7-11
Opening Night: Summer Exhibitions
Opening Night for American Idyll: Contemporary Art and Cultural Karaoke, An-My Lê: Small Wars and Uncoordinated: Mapping Cartography in Contemporary Art
Free and open to the public.
OPENING
Every Monday, May 26 through August 25 • 6-8 pm • Level 4
Walt’s Karaoke Bar and Café
Artist-as-karaoke-jockey Joel Armor explores human behavior and social interaction through this pop cultural phenomenon. Perform your favorite songs on this site-specific stage.
Cash bar featuring specialty karaoke-inspired cocktails.
CAC admission is free to members and nonmembers Mondays 5-9 pm.
SPECIAL EVENT
Saturday, June 7 • 2 pm • Performance Space
Exhibition Lecture: Maiza Hixson, American Idyll: Contemporary Art and Karaoke
Exhibition curator Maiza Hixson presents a multimedia lecture on American Idyll: Contemporary Art and Karaoke.
Members: Free. Nonmembers: CAC admission.
Please RSVP with Andrea Blake 513 345 8434 ablake@cacmail.org.
PUBLIC PROGRAM
Monday, June 16 • 6:30 pm • Performance Space
Performance: Ryan Mulligan, I invented a restaurant that only serves side dishes
American Idyll artist Ryan Mulligan combines education and entertainment in this performance-lecture.
CAC admission is free to members and nonmembers Mondays 5-9 pm
Please RSVP with Andrea Blake 513 345 8434 ablake@cacmail.org.
PUBLIC PROGRAM
Monday, July 21 • 6:30 pm • Performance Space
Performance: Ryan Mulligan, I invented a restaurant that only serves side dishes
American Idyll artist Ryan Mulligan combines education and entertainment in this performance-lecture.
CAC admission is free to members and nonmembers Mondays 5-9 pm
Please RSVP with Andrea Blake 513 345 8434 ablake@cacmail.org.
PUBLIC PROGRAM
About the Contemporary Arts Center
Founded in November 1939 as the Modern Art Society by three visionary women in Cincinnati, Contemporary Arts Center was one of the first institutions in the U.S. dedicated to exhibiting the art of our time. In May 2003, the Center relocated to its first free-standing home, the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art, designed by Zaha Hadid. Throughout its distinguished history, the Center has earned a reputation for stimulating thought and introducing new ideas by presenting the work of diverse artists from around the world, including hundreds of now-famous artists such as Laurie Anderson, Jasper Johns, Louise Nevelson, Nam June Paik, I.M. Pei, Pablo Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, Kara Walker and Andy Warhol. CAC focuses on new developments in painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, performance art and new media, presenting eight to 12 exhibitions and 20 to 40 performances annually.
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