Modern Art Oxford

KALEIDOSCOPE: Mystics and Rationalists

11 Jun - 14 Aug 2016

Dan Graham
Performer/Audience/Mirror, 1975. Courtesy Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), New York.
Dorothy Cross
Scales, 2014. Courtesy Anne Madden.
Dorothy Cross
Scales (detail), 2014. Courtesy Anne Madden.
Dorothy Cross
Doorway, 2014. Courtesy of the Artist and the Kerlin Gallery Dublin.
Dorothy Cross
Doorway (detail), 2014. Courtesy of the Artist and the Kerlin Gallery Dublin.
Ibrahim El-Salahi
The Tree, 2000
India ink and coloured ink on Bristol board. Image courtesy of Vigo gallery and the artist. Photo credit: Justin Piperger.
Ibrahim El-Salahi
Untitled XII, 2001
Watercolour on paper.
Image courtesy of Vigo gallery and the artist. Photo credit: Justin Piperger.
Sol LeWitt
installation view Wall Drawings, 1973
courtesy of the Sol LeWitt Estate and Modern Art Oxford.
Sol Lewitt
Wall Drawing no. 155, 1973
courtesy of the Sol LeWitt Estate and Modern Art Oxford.
Installation view from Amy Sillman: one lump or two, Hessel Museum of Art, Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, June 28 - September 21, 2014. Photo: Chris Kendall 2014.
KALEIDOSCOPE: MYSTICS AND RATIONALISTS
11 June — 14 August 2016

In 2016, Modern Art Oxford marks 50 years as an internationally acclaimed powerhouse of contemporary visual culture. Celebrating the role art plays in shaping our perception of the world, KALEIDOSCOPE offers a shifting prism on an illustrious history founded upon the vision of artists.

Iconic works from the past return to the gallery from across the globe, as part of a dynamic year-long programme of displays, commissions, performances, talks and events including work by artists new to Modern Art Oxford.

Over 700 exhibitions have been presented at Modern Art Oxford since the gallery was founded 50 years ago. KALEIDOSCOPE does not aim to be a definitive history by any means. It offers a snapshot of some of the many highlights in our history and reflects on some of the key ideas in contemporary art over the past half a century.

Drawing on Sol LeWitt’s assertion that “conceptual artists are mystics rather than rationalists. They leap to conclusions which logic cannot reach,” this show explores new forms of knowledge. The artists all provide unconventional perspectives that eschew traditional logic. These new modes of expression are increasingly important in a world dominated by the visual, with images channelled ever more rapidly through advertising, smartphones and social media. Featuring Karla Black, Daniel Buren, Dorothy Cross, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Dan Graham, Sol LeWitt, Yoko Ono and Amy Sillman.

Mystics and Rationalists turns around to It’s Me to the World between 31 July and 20 August. In KALEIDOSCOPE, one exhibition transitions into the next enabling visitors look behind the scenes and catch a glimpse of the gallery at work with artists and artworks.
 

Tags: Karla Black, Daniel Buren, Dorothy Cross, Dan Graham, Sol LeWitt, Yoko Ono, Amy Sillman