LEO VILLAREAL: new work
(gallery one + courtyard gallery)
GALLERY ARTISTS: recent work
(gallery two + media room)
Saturday, September 27 –
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Conner Contemporary Art
1358-60 Florida Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
http://www.connercontemporary.com
Leigh Conner and Jamie Smith are delighted to inaugurate 1358-60 Florida Avenue, NE as the new home of Conner Contemporary Art with a solo exhibition of new work by Leo Villareal and a group exhibition of recent work by Gallery Artists. Since acquiring the building last July, we have extensively renovated the 7,000 sq ft. ground floor area into two galleries, a dedicated media room and an outdoor exhibition space.
We take great pleasure in presenting new large-format digital light sculptures by Leo Villareal. In conceiving his fourth solo exhibition with the Gallery, the artist responded to interior and exterior exhibition spaces within the new gallery complex. Using the latest LED technology, Villareal explored scale, pattern, color and tonality to create imagery that evokes the generation of new life and suggests the emergence of behavior and personality. With stunning visual impact and kinetic appeal, these pieces stand forth as major works in the increasingly impressive canon of this renowned international artist.
At the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Villareal is currently implementing a 200-foot digital light installation in the concourse walkway between the East and West Buildings on the National Mall. Completion is anticipated in early Fall 2008. At 41, Villareal is the youngest artist to be commissioned for a site-specific work by the NGA. The artist’s most ambitious project to date, this installation features new, complex custom software directing over 40,000 LEDs (light emitting diodes). Villareal’s work has recently been acquired by the Modern Museum of Art, New York. He has created projects for PS1 Contemporary Art Center, New York and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY, and has permanent installations at the Albright Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, KS.
We are also thrilled to present an exhibition of recent work by Conner Contemporary and *gogo art projects artists including: Mary Coble’s Blood Script performance documentation, Mark Bennett’s Mommie Dearest architectural drawing, Erik Sandberg’s latest monumental canvas, Kenny Hunter’s recent sculpture, Zoë Charlton’s figural drawing, Gabriel de la Mora’s memento mori drawings, Harry Shearer’s latest political videos, and works by Maria Friberg, David Levinthal, John Kirchner, Joe Ovelman, Patricia Piccinini and others.
There will be an opening reception for the artists Saturday, September 27th from 6-8pm. RSVP essential.
For further information or images, please contact Leigh Conner at 202-588-8750 or info@connercontemporary.com.
