Battle of the Buddha - NEW WORK BY JEFFREY WISNIEWSKI AT ARTPACE SAN ANTONIO

Battle of the Buddha
NEW WORK BY JEFFREY WISNIEWSKI AT ARTPACE SAN ANTONIO

Artpace
445 North Main Avenue
San Antonio, TX 78205 1441
t. 210 212 4900
Jeffrey Wisniewski
Battle of the Buddha, 2009   
info@artpace.org
http://www.artpace.org

Artpace San Antonio presents Battle of the Buddha, on view through January 3, 2010, in the Hudson (Show)Room. Curated by Artpace Executive Director Matthew Drutt, the exhibition debuts a new body of work by California-based artist Jeffrey Wisniewski. The exhibition premieres several sculptures and presents his first project in animation, featuring a clash between opposing Buddhas as a metaphor of the growing economic tensions between China and the United States.

Wisniewski's art has been described as an extension of the conceptual strategies of artists like Robert Smithson, Walter DeMaria, and Gordon Matta-Clark, while also being read as dystopic visions of contemporary cultural values. In a sense, they are both and neither at the same time, formally resonant of works dealing with institutional critique, conceptually driven by ideologies of consumerism and the flow of capital in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, while inherently satirical, inspired by a romantic sense of history, memory, and the transience of existence.

In Battle of the Buddha, Wisniewski creates a choreographed fight scene between good and evil Buddhas utilizing motion capture technology, a technique he has perfected in his recent work as a professional art director for Hollywood films. Accompanying the digital video are several new sculptures composed of objects referencing the world economy and the energy business.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Since studying at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Jeffrey Wisniewski has gained international recognition through solo exhibitions at Gallerie Rolf Ricke, Köln, Germany (2003); Gallerie Sima, Nürnberg, Germany (2003); David Zwirner, New York, New York (1995); and Centre d'Arte Contemporain, Theirs, France (1991). Wisniewski's work has also been featured in numerous group exhibitions including, Das Kapital, Bluechips and Masterpieces, Museum for Modern Art (MMK Frankfurt am Main), Frankfurt, Germany (2007); Sweet Temptations, Kunstverein St. Gallen Kunstmuseum, St. Gallen, Switzerland (2005); and New York Diary: Almost 25 Different Things, PS 1 Institute for Contemporary Art, Long Island City, NY (1991).


EXHIBITION DETAILS AND RELATED EVENTS
This exhibition is made possible in part by the Linda Pace Foundation.

Exhibition Dates
Exhibition Dates: September 24 – January 3, 2010
Members Preview: September 24, 2009, 6:30-8:30pm
ArtTalks lecture by the Artist and Public Opening: October 22, 2009, 6:30-8:30pm

Private Tours
Tours in both Spanish and English are available by appointment. To schedule a group tour, contact Matt Johns at mjohns@artpace.org or call 210 212 4900 x314.

ABOUT ARTPACE
Artpace San Antonio serves as a laboratory for the creation and advancement of international contemporary art. Artpace believes that art is a dynamic social force that inspires individuals and defines cultures. Our residencies, exhibitions, and education programs nurture the creative expression of emerging and established artists, while actively engaging youth and adult audiences.

Artpace is located downtown at 445 North Main Avenue, between Savings and Martin streets, San Antonio, Texas. Free parking is available at 513 North Flores Street. Artpace is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, 12-5 PM, and by appointment. Admission is free.

© 2009 Artpace San Antonio