Pae White:
”Lisa, Bright & Dark”
17 May 2008 to 7 September 2008
7380 E. 2nd Street
Scottsdale, AZ 85251, U.S.A.
Phone: 480-874-4666
EXHIBITION:
Pae White: “Lisa, Bright & Dark”
Pae White seeks what she calls an “artfulness” in everything—books, advertisements, objects such as a shopping bag or perfume bottle, even exhibitions. She has a keen way of deconstructing or perhaps rethinking the assumed forms of things. This exhibition, an innovative approach to showcasing White’s broad output, marks the first full-scale American museum exhibition of her art.
White titled this exhibition after a novel by John Neufeld, Lisa, Bright and Dark, 1969, Copyright SG Phillips. The book was somewhat of a phenomenon and played an important role at the time of its release for many teenagers (White among them) seeking to understand the “craziness” of the world around them. In retrospect, for White now, the title represents a specific and elusive tone of that specific time and place. Rather than referencing the literal story of Lisa, Bright and Dark, she is interested in using the book title as a device that can reference notions of confusion and inconsistency. For her, it is about conjuring an essence more than telling a specific story.
The exhibition is literally and physically organized in two galleries, one “bright” and one “dark.” These two spaces create contrasting environments in which to experience the work psychologically. The “bright” gallery is like a jewel box. It is filled with White’s ephemera: books, catalogues, posters, stickers, announcement cards as well as various small objects including perfume bottles and delicate glass spheres that contain bath water, one of many un-collectable things, White has collected over the years. The sparkling realm of bright colors and dynamic shapes evokes a playful sense of wonder. By contrast, in the “dark” gallery, the richly hued objects made of heavier materials such as cast iron elicit a quiet, meditative quality and a more somber mood. Woven tapestries hang among dramatically lit paper mobiles and ethereal hanging sculptures. Central to the tone of this space is Reflective Tables, 2008, one of White’s “pools,” created for this exhibition out of layers of mirrored and colored Plexiglas. The shimmering “pool” acts as an extended reflective pedestal that anchors various objects from White’s repertoire.
TOUR:
Pae White: “Lisa, Bright & Dark” will travel to the Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke, Virginia where it will be on view from September 5 – November 2, 2009. The exhibition is available for travel from September 2008 – August 2009. To receive a full exhibition proposal packet please contact exhibition curator Cassandra Coblentz, 480-874-4637, or cassandrac@sccarts.org
PUBLICATION:
Pae White: “Lisa, Bright & Dark” Available now
The catalog accompanying this exhibition is the first major U.S. museum publication on Pae White’s art, which is widely shown abroad. Designed by Juliette Bellocq in close consultation with White, it includes an interview by Hans Ulrich Obrist, co-director of exhibitions and programs and director of international projects at the Serpentine Gallery, London, and texts by Cassandra Coblentz, implementing curator, and Marilu Knode, originating curator and now assistant director, F.A.R. [Future Arts Projects], Arizona State University, Tempe.
For further information please visit our website www.smoca.org
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art [SMoCA]
7380 E. 2nd Street
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
U.S.A.
Phone: 480-874-4666
Fax: 480-874-4655
e-mail: smoca@sccarts.org
Museum Summer Hours: Wed 12 noon – 5pm; Thurs 10am – 8pm; Fri + Sat: 10am – 5pm; Sun 12 noon- 5pm. Closed on Mondays & Tuesdays during the summer and major holidays.
Organized by the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.
Sponsored by the Peter Norton Family Foundation and the SMoCA Salon.
This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment of the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.
Installation of objects in the case from image above include:
Bath Spheres, 2001, glass and bath water, each of nine; Blue Crush, 2007, porcelain perfume bottle and perfume stopper, edition of eight; Journal, 2003, mixed media artist’s book, courtesy of the artist and neugerriemschneider, Berlin; The Norton Family, n.d., Corian box and printed cards, Courtesy of The Norton Family Foundation.
