The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Exhibition proposal for Regarding Spirituality, Fall 2017—DRAFT, May, 2014 Leesa K. Fanning Ph.D., Curator, Contemporary Art Introduction In Regarding Spirituality, the term spirituality is provisional, complex, multidimensional and always evolving. This exhibition encompasses a broad spectrum of possibilities, and spirituality is used in the most encompassing sense of the word. It includes considerations of living well in our complicated world, the search for ultimate reality, meaning and truth, philosophical questions of being and belief, ritual practices signifying life-changing events, historical connections between past and present, transformation or transcendence and the understanding that spirituality is a direct and immediate experience. Regarding Spirituality is not about organized religion, doctrine or creed. It involves the inner self and may be highly personal. Yet more expansively, spirituality may encompass communal and participatory activities, particularly in indigenous traditions. The art included in this exhibition reflects a heightened state of awareness of one’s own being, our relationships with others, nature and the environment. It reminds us that we experience joy and sorrow and that we are not alone in the world. Spanning the gamut from simple acts of generosity to transcendence, these works represent as many variations of spirituality as there are artists in the exhibition. While attention is given to universal themes, every effort is made to respect unique cultural beliefs and practices. Representing varieties of worldwide experience and the art of six continents, this art and these artists seek a higher purpose. Many artists express themselves through abstraction. Others use referential imagery or the written word. Some are associated with traditional and non-traditional religions and indigenous practices. Others are entirely independent. A key characteristic of the art in this exhibition is its heterogeneity— traditions are often intermixed—representing rapid, transnational changes sweeping the globe. If works of art have multiple meanings and if you are the sum of your experiences, what understandings do you bring to your encounter with this art? What might you need or want to receive? Believers, agnostics and inveterate skeptics are all welcome. It has been decades since a large-scale exhibition explored spirituality. In Regarding Spirituality, extraordinary new works (1980s to the present with some exceptions) will be exhibited together for the first time, and new art will be created for the exhibition. While some works have been seen before, they have not been presented in this context. Further, the beauty, diversity and sum of the whole will strengthen the experiential impact. This exhibition demonstrates, for the first time in our historic moment, the expansiveness of spirituality in contemporary art. It is urgent, timely and will be compelling for a general audience, contemporary art enthusiasts and those interested in spirituality. A scholarly catalogue will accompany the exhibition. Regarding Spirituality will be installed in the featured exhibition galleries. Approximately 85 works are represented, and they will require up to 11,000 square feet of exhibition space. Additional works, designated Activations, will be installed in the permanent collection galleries. Regarding Spirituality encompasses a wide range of media—paintings, sculpture, video, performance, sound and installation art. It includes work by artists who have continuously focused on the spiritual throughout their careers as well as those who have intermittently embraced the subject. In certain instances, when an artist has addressed a number of spiritual themes in different forms and media, multiple works by that artist may be shown to demonstrate the breadth and depth of his or her commitment to the subject.
Organization of the Exhibition Featured Exhibition Galleries Regarding Spirituality is organized by the following thematic subjects: •
Presence
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Transcendence (with a subtheme of Art-Making as Transcendence)
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Numbers, Writings and Recitations
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Life, Death and Rebirth
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Heaven and Earth
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Ancestors, Spirits and Shamans
Other important themes such as journey, creation/destruction, infinity, mythology, animism, sacred animals, transformation, transience, emptiness, joy and sorrow will also be reflected in this art, and all will be explored through interpretive means. Works of art from different cultures will be intermixed and imaginative constellations will bring works into dialogue in innovative and thought-provoking ways. Specific cultural meanings will be celebrated through contextual explanation and/or documentary video. Opening the Exhibition—Acts of Generosity For Opening the Exhibition—Acts of Generosity, the museum will engage artist Rirkrit Tiravanija to create and serve his famous work, free Thai curry to visitors. The goal is to create a “community” based on sharing food, with the idea that strangers become friends. Lee Mingwei’s Sonic Blossom presents operatic singers who give individual museum visitors the gift of a song. Félix González-Torres’ Spill represents generosity, and visitors are encouraged to take candies from the sculpture. A tree-planting ceremony at the museum and citywide, based on precedents such as Joseph Beuys’ 7000 Oaks, Tu B’Shevat, the Hemis Monastery Tree Planting Project and Wangari Maathai’s Green Belt Movement, will allow people to give to future generations. Activations in Permanent Collection Galleries or Public Spaces Activations refer to the installation of a work of contemporary art in permanent collection galleries. The work may be exhibited adjacent to historical art in order to create surprising juxtapositions linking the past and present, in contemporary galleries or in public spaces in the museum. The Artist is Present For The Artist is Present, visiting artists will interact with the audience in a variety ways. Artists may work with groups or on a one-on-one basis. Closing the Exhibition Closing the Exhibition is a large-scale participatory event designed to encourage all who have attended the exhibition and related programs to return as a community for an official, formal conclusion. Closing the Exhibition functions as a secular “ritual” in response to the Opening the Exhibition; it is to be determined.