Artist: Jiří Kovanda
Curated by: Michal Novotný and Cortney Stell
Venue: Black Cube, Denver, US
Date: September 14 – October 6, 2018
Photography: All photographs courtesy the artist and Black Cube
Czech Artist Jiří Kovanda to Create Artwork in Downtown Denver, Sight Unseen
Kovanda will fly from Prague to Denver in September with only materials and no sense of the exhibition’s physical location
August 27, 2018 – Denver, CO – Jiří Kovanda, an internationally recognized performance artist, is heading from Prague to Denver next month for his first American exhibition outside of New York City. But, what makes this exhibition even more unique is that Kovanda has no knowledge of where in Denver he’ll be creating his artwork—All the Birds of North America.
The site location was chosen by Michal Novotný, Curator and Director at Centre for Contemporary Art FUTURA. By exposing the artist to an entirely different climate than his home city of Prague, Novotný is interested to see how Kovanda responds to the site and city in real time…without any foreknowledge or preparation.
“This project will be openly fanciful and imaginary, more sentimental than realistic,” says Novotný. “With this site-specific project we also tried to create the most picturesque American scene for Jiří to work with, something relatable to travel, freedom, and the open landscape—like those yellow turning leaves from the cover for All the Birds of North America atlas. Just as Jiří Kovanda did in his early performances, this exhibition relates to our inner freedom, the deep inner-self that cannot be controlled by anyone.”
Exhibition Details
Site Reveal: The site location for All the Birds of North America won’t be revealed to the artist—or the public—until Weds., Sept. 5. Be sure to follow Black Cube on Instagram @black_cube_nomadic_museum to tune in for the reveal.
Opening & Public Hours: The exhibition opening will be held Thurs., Sept. 13 from 6-9 p.m. Public hours will be held Weds. through Sat. from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Curatorial Talk: Join Czech curator Michal Novotný and Black Cube Executive Director + Chief
Curator Cortney Stell for “On Contemporary Curating: A Conversation with Michal Novotný.” The conversation will be held at BCHQ (2925 South Umatilla Street, Englewood) on Mon., Sept. 10 at 6 p.m.
All the Birds of North America is part of an exchange between Black Cube and Centre for Contemporary Art FUTURA. Black Cube Fellow and Denver native, Devon Dikeou, is currently exhibiting her work, Tricia Nixon: Summer of 1973, at FUTURA until Sept. 16. Dikeou’s work holds a ghost-like recollection of a particular moment in American history—a moment when excess, economy, and ecological issues collide. The exhibition includes three large-scale installations that engage viewers’ senses—from the unusual feeling of cold and hot air to the sound of 1970s era American radio.
About Jiří Kovanda
Jiří Kovanda is a major figure of Czechoslovak and Central-East European performance art. The artist is well known for his subtle ephemera—but strongly political—interventions into the public space, which he started in the end of 1970s under the totalitarian communist regime of Czechoslovakia. His work came into global appreciation after the turn of the millennium, gaining recognition by institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Tate in London.
About Black Cube
Black Cube is a nonprofit, experimental art museum that operates nomadically. Without the traditional boundaries of a physical building, Black Cube exists primarily through partnering with artist fellows to commission popup art experiences. Black Cube describes itself as an unconventional museum pursuing the most effective ways to engage audiences while supporting individual artists with critical professional guidance. Black Cube was founded by artist and philanthropist, Laura Merage. For more information, visit blackcube.art.
