NEW ART DISPLAYS AT SFMOMA THIS SUMMER
The San Francisco Museum of Art (SFMOMA) announces three new exhibitions opening this July, highlighting works by both well-known and emerging artists across a variety of media. The 2017 SECA Art Award presents art for our time created by five Bay Area artists in their debut presentations at a major institution; Noguchi’s Playscapes is a survey of Isamu Noguchi’s influential designs for playgrounds and play structures, explores the democratization of public space and Soundtracks offers a pioneering presentation of contemporary works that address the experience of sound in relation to space.
2017 SECA Art Award
On view July 15–September 17, 2017
Floor 4
The 2017 SECA Art Award exhibition, the first to be held in the new SFMOMA, features five Bay Area artists in their first major museum presentations. Liam Everett, Alicia McCarthy, Sean McFarland, K.r.m. Mooney and Lindsey White join more than 70 artists who have received the Society for the Encouragement of Contemporary Art (SECA) Art Award since 1967. Previous winners include Tauba Auerbach, Chris Johanson, Barry McGee, Trevor Paglen and Mitzi Pederson.
This year’s exhibition is organized by Jenny Gheith, assistant curator of painting and sculpture, and Erin O’Toole, Baker Street Foundation Associate Curator of Photography, who selected the winners from nearly 250 applicants over a 10-month period. The process began with nominations by SECA members, previous art award winners, SFMOMA staff and members of the local arts community. The five awardees were chosen from a group of 16 finalists, which also included Amy Balkin, Nate Boyce, Will Brown, Ajit Chauhan, Ala Ebtekar, Constance Hockaday, Cybele Lyle, Mads Lynnerup, Ben Peterson, Richard T. Walker and May Wilson.
Noguchi’s Playscapes
On view July 15–November 26, 2017
Floor 6
Noguchi’s Playscapes presents ideas about the democratization of art and public space by Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988). The artist was a fervent believer that sculpture is an aesthetic and cultural tool capable of creating synergy between individuality and society. Observing that playgrounds offer a physical and social interaction not typically seen in a museum, Noguchi designed a number of public spaces where visitors could actively engage with art.
The exhibition gathers his designs for several playgrounds, stand-alone play structures and other works that, while serious in subject, employ playful elements to engage the viewer. The body of work presented has become hugely influential for contemporary landscape architects, urban planners, artists and education specialists. Noguchi’s playscapes provoke a reconsideration of the role of art in recreation, education and community.
Soundtracks
On view July 15, 2017–January 1, 2018
Floor 7 and multiple locations throughout the museum
Soundtracks is the museum’s first large-scale group exhibition centered on the role of sound in contemporary art. Focusing on the perceptual experience of space, the exhibition offers opportunities for discovering public architectural features and galleries throughout the newly expanded building. Spanning sculpture, audio and video installation and performance pieces made since 2000, the show takes its point of departure from key works in the media arts collection.
The presentation highlights past SFMOMA commissions by such artists as Brian Eno and Bill Fontana, as well as new and diverse work from over 20 contemporary artists, including Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Camille Norment, O Grivo and Amalia Pica, among others. Soundtracks is accompanied by a map and an online catalogue.
NOTE: We would like to thank for the support of our attendance to IPW 2017 to the US Embassy in Bucharest, US Commercial Service.
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