December 6, 2011 – February 14, 2012, IDEA Space

Hybrid identities, overlapping narratives, theatrical spaces and virtual realities – these characteristics obviously describe contemporary experience, yet they also apply to certain aspects of the 17^th century. Strange Beauty uncovers connections between Baroque and   contemporary experience.

Hybrid identities, overlapping narratives, theatrical spaces, virtual realities:  while one readily applies these qualities to contemporary experience, it is not instantly apparent to the casual consumer of history how these characteristics equally apply to the 17^th Century world. Originally a derogatory term, the word “Baroque” typically conjures images of excessive ornamentation, unnecessary complexity, and superficiality.  While these attributes do feature in some Baroque work, the larger concerns of the era, which is sometimes considered to represent the beginnings of a modern psychology, mirror those of our own.  In the Baroque and Contemporary eras, artists have struggled to identify and convey a heightened awareness of the complex relationship of an individual to a multivalent reality that persistently evades concrete definition. Featuring work by contemporary artists Jimmy Baker, Liza Lou, Kehinde Wiley, and Sherrie Wolf, Strange Beauty uncovers connections between Baroque and   contemporary experience.

Exhibition Events

Tuesday, December 6, 4:30pm Opening Reception and IDEA Cabaret: The Past is Just Another Place, featuring Sherrie Wolf and CC faculty.