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Haluk AkakceJune 20 – September 13, 2015

Screen Play: Life in an Animated World

Animation permeates twenty-first century culture; from movies and television to videogames and advertising, it fills virtually all of the screens ubiquitous in contemporary life. Screen Play: Life in an Animated World is the first exhibition devoted exclusively to examining the work of contemporary artists who use the techniques, technologies, and tropes of animation as tools in their practices. This unprecedented exhibition gathers together almost fifty captivating film, video, and immersive installations created during the past twenty-five years by more than three dozen artists from nearly twenty nations, filling the galleries of the 1905 Building and its Sculpture Court as well as the Gallery for New Media and the Auditorium.

With artworks that are by turns funny, poignant, critical, and provocative, the artists in Screen Play prompt viewers of all ages to enter alternative universes, to consider our deepening relationship with screens and screen fictions, and to see “in real life” with screen-refreshed eyes. This international survey includes some of the greatest voices in contemporary art alongside emerging artists who are developing new forms of representation. The artistic techniques on view range from stop motion to traditional hand-drawn cel animations, digital modeling, three-dimensional video projections, and infinitely iterative live simulations—presenting the fullest range of how artists use diverse animation technologies in their work today. While such technology has become simply inseparable from contemporary life, the artists in Screen Play both maximize and critique its power to enthrall: these are the pioneers of a new golden age of animation.

FEATURED ARTISTS
AES+F
Haluk Akakçe
Chiho Aoshima
Cory Arcangel
Marco Brambilla
Cao Fei
Paul Chan
Ian Cheng
Martha Colburn
Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg
Cécile B. Evans
Kota Ezawa
Harun Farocki
Rokni Haerizadeh
Camille Henrot
Pierre Huyghe
William Kentridge
Oliver Laric
Charles Lavoie
Lee Lee Nam
Tala Madani
Helen Marten
Miao Xiaochun
Joshua Mosley
Takashi Murakami
Jacco Olivier
Julian Opie
Jon Rafman
Tabor Robak
Jason Salavon
Jacolby Satterwhite
Allison Schulnik
Shahzia Sikander
Jennifer Steinkamp
Ryan Trecartin
Peter Wächtler
Young hae Chang Heavy Industries
Zhang Xiaotao

This exhibition is conceived by Deputy Director Joe Lin-Hill and curated by Lin-Hill, Curator Cathleen Chaffee, and Godin-Spaulding Curator & Curator for the Collection Holly E. Hughes, with support from Curatorial Assistant Laura Brill.

read more here.

In Situ

Featured Artist

Haluk Akakçe (1970 – 2023) is a Turkish multimedia artist who explores the role of technology in manipulating human perceptions in the current age. His work thus far includes abstract paintings, animated video projections, and electronic installations, which inquire into...

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