Iannis Xenakis: Composer, Architect, Visionary

Iannis Xenakis: Composer, Architect, Visionary
January 15 – April 8, 2010

Opening Reception: Thursday, January 14, 6-8pm

Main Gallery
35 Wooster Street
New York, NY, 10013

www.drawingcenter.org

Iannis Xenakis: Composer, Architect, Visionary explores the fundamental role of drawing in the work of avant-garde composer Iannis Xenakis (1922–2001). One of the most important figures in twentieth-century music, Xenakis originally trained as an engineer and was also known as an architect, developing iconic designs while working with Le Corbusier in the 1950s. This North American premiere of Xenakis’s visual work is comprised of samples of his pioneering graphic musings, architectural plans, compelling preparatory mathematical renderings, and pre-compositional sketches—in all, nearly 100 documents created between 1953 and 1984. The exhibition is accompanied by an exciting schedule of public programs, concerts, and symposia around New York City. Co-curated by Sharon Kanach and Carey Lovelace, the exhibition will travel to the Canadian Centre for Architecture (June 17 – October 17, 2010) and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (November 7, 2010 – February 13, 2011).

Public Programs
January 15, 7–10pm, performances every half hour
Electronic Music Foundation: Poème Electronique, a virtual-reality re-creation of the Phillips Pavilion, Brussels World’s Fair, 1958
Judson Church, 55 Washington Square South

January 19, 7:30pm
A Xenakis Triple Gala – concert, book launch, and inauguration of The Xenakis Project of the Americas
Elebash Hall at the Graduate Center of City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue

January 28–30
Xenakis: Past, Present, Future, colloquium with The Brooklyn Experimental Media Center and The Xenakis Project of the Americas
Pfizer Auditorium/Dibner Building at Polytechnic Institute of New York University, 5 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn

February 5, 6:45–8:30pm
Concert by JACK Quartet of Xenakis’s complete String Quartets
The Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Avenue

February 6, 7pm and February 13, 20, and 27, 2–8pm
Daniel Teige performs selections of Xenakis’s electronic music
Diapason Gallery, 882 Third Avenue, 10th Floor, Brooklyn

February 21, 3–5:30pm
Iannis Xenakis: The Percussion Music, panel discussion and performance
Frederick Loewe Theatre – NYU Steinhardt Percussion Program, 35 West 4th Street

February 28, 8pm
Xenakis and Japan, a music/dance event produced by Electronic Music Foundation, choreography and production design by Luca Veggetti
Judson Church, 55 Washington Square South

March 16, 7pm
French Transmission, a concert by the Montreal-based ensemble
Elebash Hall at the Graduate Center of City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue

March 24, 7pm and 9pm
Film Screening of Something Rich and Strange, Orient-Occident: Images d’une Exposition, Charisma X and La Légende d’Eer
92YTribeca, 200 Hudson Street

Publication
To accompany the exhibition, The Drawing Center produced one of the first major publications on Xenakis in English. It includes essays by music critic Ivan Hewett, exhibition curators Carey Lovelace and Sharon Kanach, a text by his daughter, Mâkhi Xenakis, and 65 color plates, including examples of Xenakis’s musical scores, architectural blueprints, drawings, studies, and archival photographs. Available for sale in the bookstore and online.

Hours & Accessibility
Gallery hours are Wednesday, 12pm – 6pm, Thursday, 12pm – 8pm, and Friday – Sunday, 12pm – 6pm (closed Mondays and Tuesdays). The Drawing Center is wheelchair accessible.

Credits
Iannis Xenakis: Composer, Architect, Visionary is made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, The Grand Marnier Foundation and an anonymous donor.

This exhibition has been produced with the exceptional cooperation of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Mission Statement
The Drawing Center is the only not-for-profit fine arts institution in the country to focus solely on the exhibition of drawings, both historical and contemporary. It was established in 1977 to provide opportunities for emerging and under-recognized artists; to demonstrate the significance and diversity of drawings throughout history; and to stimulate public dialogue on issues of art and culture.