INCOGNITO 2008

Saturday, May 3, 2008 marks the date of the fourth annual INCOGNITO exhibition and art sale to benefit Santa Monica Museum of Art. One of the most popular art events in Southern California, INCOGNITO features works created by contemporary artists in an identical format, and all are signed on the back. Only after purchase are artist identities revealed. All works are for sale at the same price.

The Puppet Show

Opening Reception: Friday, May 23, 7–9 pm

International in scope, the exhibition brings together works by 28 contemporary artists who explore the imagery of puppets in sculpture, film, video, time-based media, animation, and 2D work The exhibition includes works by Guy Ben-Ner, Nayland Blake, Louise Bourgeois, Maurizio Cattelan, Anne Chu, Nathalie Djurberg, Terence Gower, Dan Graham, Pierre Huyghe, Christian Jankowski, Mike Kelley, William Kentridge, Cindy Loehr, Annette Messager, Paul McCarthy, Matt Mullican, Bruce Nauman, Dennis Oppenheim, Philippe Parreno and Rirkrit Tiravanija, Thomas Schütte, Doug Skinner and Michael Smith, Laurie Simmons, Kiki Smith, Kara Walker, Andy Warhol, and Charlie White. The Puppet Show is organized by the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia.

Project Room I:
Bruce Busby: Super Faulty Reconfiguration

Opening Reception: Friday, May 23, 7–9 pm

Bruce Busby creates idiosyncratically shaped, collapsible, and transportable shelters to protect against the “impurities” that cause creative blockage, frustration, inefficiency, and confusion. His Creativity Enhancement Shelters are safe-havens that create the perfect environment for reflection and contemplation. The exhibition will also feature Creativity Impairment Plumes, abstract diagrams of the diaphanous but threatening forces that make his shelters so necessary.

Martin Kersels: Heavyweight Champion

Opening Reception: Friday, September 12, 7–9 pm

Kersels’ first retrospective, Heavyweight Champion, includes 13 years of multi-media work. His sculptures, photographs, and performances, though frequently whimsical and funny at first reading, often reveal the awkwardness and embarrassment of quite literally not fitting in. Heavyweight Champion is organized by The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY.

Project Room I: Henry Taylor: Girrrrrl!

Opening Reception: Friday, September 12, 7–9 pm

Henry Taylor’s figurative work—painted on canvas, cereal boxes, suitcases, and whatever else may be handy—depicts friends and family at curbside barbecues, sporting events, and other neighborhood activities. Through these insightful portraits, Taylor comments upon economic and racial disparities in the United States.

Project Room 2: Bruce Pollock

Opening Reception: Friday, September 12, 7–9 pm

Bruce Pollock’s luminous oil paintings and elaborate drawings are based on his fascination with mathematical systems and recurring patterns found in the natural world. The paintings are densely packed with ornate webs, honeycombs, fractal patterns, and spirals, mimicking the logic of organic forms like corals, mollusks, and plants. For his upcoming exhibition in the Project Room at the Santa Monica Museum of Art, the Philadelphia-based artist will mount his paintings over a sprawling, site-specific wall drawing.