« All the Ladies in the House ... An Estrojam Review | Lucksmiths » |
Random Wed Sep 26 2007
"Please Allow Me To Introduce Myself..."
There’s an old anecdote about the Velvet Underground that I absolutely love. Attributed to Brian Eno, it goes that not many people bought their first record in 1967, but everybody that did started a band. A similar statement can probably be made about their artistic collaborator and producer, Andy Warhol. While both parties are now the celebrated mainstream torch-bearers of avant-garde art and rock’n’roll, it’s a testament to their challenging and sometimes obtuse material that their work initially resonated with certain kinds of people, those frustrated and dismayed by mainstream, consumer-driven artistic bile. There is a possibility, of course, that the influence of Warhol and the Velvet Underground also helped foster the perception of art and rock as culturally elitist, artistic fodder for those folks who are “hip” or “in the know”. This perception is unfair and unfortunate, as I’ve always felt art and rock to be hilarious, highly accessible and generally inclusive.
This Saturday, September 29th, in celebration of their 40th anniversary, the Museum of Contemporary Art launches the first major exhibition distilling the fusion of art and rock music over the last forty years, beginning with that first Warhol-Underground collaboration. Titled Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock Since 1967, the exhibit promises a full-on orgy of art, photographs, album covers, music videos, and mixed media, loosely arranged in six geographical sections: New York, Los Angeles/West Coast, Midwestern America, UK, Europe, and the Rest of the World. Personally, I’m most excited for paintings from the Destroy All Monsters collective, celebrating their cultural roots in Detroit, as well as Rita Ackerman’s new wall-to-ceiling mural set to adorn the MCA entrance wall. There’s a film from David Byrne, Funkadelic’s The Electric Spanking of War Babies album covers, a Daydream Nation video and a host of other gems and surprises hidden throughout three floors, all designed to unify the themes of irreverence and rebellion inherent in both art and rock’n’roll. I have a feeling this will go down as one of those once-in-a-lifetime, not-to-be-missed-for-any-reason, go-see-it-twice, this-is-why-rock’n’roll-matters exhibits.
Saturday kicks off the proceedings with a panel presentation, Exploring the Connection Between Art and Rock and Rock that features a discussion between artists and musicians Rita Ackerman, Christian Marclay and Peter Saville. That can be found in the MCA Theater at 1pm.
On October 2nd, at noon, get the inside scoop on the whole exhibit with MCA curator, Dominic Molon.
And, on Sunday, October 7th from 1pm to 6pm, the MCA teams up with Intonation to present a Chicago indie-rock extravaganza held on the plaza with local bands Califone, the 1900s, Flosstradamus with the Cool Kids, the Eternals, Headache City, and Poster Children.
All events are free. In fact, the first 40 days are also free, in honor of the MCA’s 40th Anniversary (so that's cool). Exhibit runs until January 8, 2008.