Watch the video put together by Amy from the Pulitzer on the Contemporary’s new media and posted on saintlouisartmap.org. The video is part of a series “catching up with…” St. Louis arts organizations.

Rachel Harrison / Tessa Rehkop

Rachel Harrison was born in 1966 in New York City, where she currently lives and works. Her work, Voyage of the Beagle, is named after a journal by Charles Darwin and is currently being displayed as part of the current exhibition For the blind man in the dark room looking for the black cat that isn’t there. It consists of fifty-eight photographs of a wide variety of characters. Lining the length of two entire walls, Harrison’s images range from 5000-year old stone figures to a Barbie doll to a figure of Elvis. The series seems to be a playful, humorous way to represent gaps in culture from the past and present but also holes that exist between cultures even today. Along with these images Harrison presents three abstract sculptures that are coated with the artist’s signature pearlescent paint.

Dave Hullfish Bailey / Tessa Rehkop

Dave Hullfish Bailey was born in 1963 in Denver, Colorado, and he currently lives and works in Los Angeles. His work To do with a wide spot along a dusty road crossing a dry channel, between the old end of Old Red and the dead end of the New West is being presented at the Contemporary in the current exhibition For the blind man in the dark room looking for the black cat that isn’t there.  This project, consisting of a boat trailer with varying types of equipment ranging from a garden hose to a computer scanner, was designed for the purpose of exploring the Colorado River Delta.  Bailey is interested in the idea of a river as something that organizes material, constantly shifting and re-shifting it around in a way that’s not random, but still hard for us to understand.  He describes the work as existing between the gap of organizing things in a rigid, rational way and a more organic, natural way. This gap is limiting but we can also take pleasure from it because understanding that there is a gap, we can develop our own ways of understanding. 

Click here to hear more of Bailey’s explanation of his work and here to view the gallery guide.

Coming up this Wednesday, November 18, the Contemporary’s Chief Curator, Anthony Huberman, will give a special lecture about his curatorial process behind the exhibition For the blind man in the dark room looking for the black cat that isn’t there. Huberman will present artists, artworks, and his ideas about art. Following the lecture will be a film screening of Fischli & Weiss’ “The Way Things Go.” Peter Fischli & David Weiss are both artists in the exhibition For the blind man… pursuing “their urge to understand the world by asking large metaphysical and ethical questions about the human condition.” The lecture and the film screening are both free. The evening begins at 6:00 pm.

Nashashibi/Skaer

Once through the lobby of the Contemporary and upon pulling back a thick black curtain, visitors find themselves a little disorientated in a dark room. Instantly they will notice a light, that after a moment, is figured out belongs to a film projector. Then one notices images being flashed fast on the wall opposite the entrance way. There are what seem like long pauses in between the flashing images, making the projector light become relevant again. You are now intrigued.

Watch the short video (below) to get the virtual experience of Flash in the Metropolitan, work by Rosalind Nashashibi and Lucy Skaer, exhibiting artists in For the blind man in the dark room looking for the black cat that isn’t there. Click here to read the gallery guide.

A couple of months ago we filled you in on a wonderful collaborative project between the Contemporary and Metro Academic and Classical High School. Students of the school worked each other, teachers, artists, and community members to create “Untitled” Gathering Place, a sculpture on their school grounds. Click here to read a past post and see images, and here or below to see a new video about the process!

A new space in downtown St. Louis, called Citygarden, is “immediately taking its place among the great cultural attractions of St. Louis for residents and visitors alike,” as stated by St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay. Curatorial intern, Marie, had the opportunity to work with the Contemporary’s Assistant Curator to put together a video installation of nine international video artists for the garden-an exciting way to share Contemporary art with those who may not normally be exposed to it. Click here to read a blog entry on the projected posted by Marie on St. Louis Art Map and here to learn more about Citygarden.

Last week we held an event called DJ/VIDEO: A Night at CAMSTL. This was the second of these types of free events that we offer to the public. We had free food and drinks, the exhibitions running all evening, a DJ, and an “art experience.” People were able to grab a bite and hang out while listening to music and watching a stop motion video making in process by Tony Gaddis. Read more about that in an article from the Riverfront Times. Click here.

One of the great things about working at a contemporary art institution is the chance to be a part of the fun events we host. DJ/VIDEO: A Night at CAMSTL is coming up on Thursday, June 25. We have hosted a similar event in the past, DJ/MAGIC: A Night at CAMSTL, which was fantastic. The event ended up radiating a “hang out” kind of an atmosphere. People came, drank free wine and enjoyed a few snacks, listened to music, and watched a magician work his magic. These types of events are a terrific way for people to experience art that may not normally come into a museum. We offer a tour of the work, and the exhibitions are available to see all evening. Even if a guest doesn’t consciously view the exhibitions, they are at least seeing it and probably subconsciously thinking about it! Here is more about Thursday night’s event.