Come wintertime, with the requisite cold and dark—though this disappointing winter might be different—the Denver art scene thrives with the arrival of new exhibitions at Denver’s premier art destination, the Museum of Contemporary Art. Here’s a short preview of the the three new exhibitions that open up on Feb. 2.
Feb. 2 – May 13: Diego Rodriguez-Warner: “Honestly Lying”
Marking his first solo museum presentation, the opening of Nicaraguan painter Diego Rodriguez-Warner’s “Honestly Lying” is set to provide visitors to MCA with a visually appetizing, complex experience. Trained as a painter in Cuba and the Rhode Island School of Design, his work is a complex mix of woodblock printing, collage, themes of violence and historical reference and trompe l’oeil (visual illusion that tricks the eye into believing that a painted detail is three-dimensional). The complex pieces in Rodriguez-Warner’s exhibition are sure to delight the MCA audience.
Feb. 2 – May 13: Arthur Jafa: “Love is the Message, the Message is Death”
Occupying the Whole Room Gallery in the Denver MCA, filmmaker Arthur Jafa’s video installation, “Love is the Message, the Message is Death,” will showcase a montage of footage source from the internet with the backing of Kanye West’s “Ultralight Beam.” The video seeks to convey themes regarding the reality of being black in contemporary America. The video contains syncopated clips of black celebrities and anonymous individuals, ranging from MLK to World Star videos. The clips showcase pain and joy in black America and express both stereotypical images of negativity and fetishment but also joy and black excellence. An innovative filmmaker, Jafa is known for his work on Beyonce’s visual album “Lemonade,” Jay-Z’s “4:44” and Solange’s “A Seat at the Table.”
Feb. 2 – May 27: Cleon Peterson: “Shadow of Men”
Taking over the entire second floor of the MCA, Cleon Peterson’s “Shadow of Men” will transform the MCA inside and out. Peterson’s graphic style, using a mix of murals, sculptures and paintings will be used to showcase the theme of violence that embodies his work and is poignant in our current social climate. His work’s focus on the disturbing yet important idea of violence in society will be showcased as to show the importance of recognizing how violence lives in society and how it affects our current time. His aesthetic mastery will be shown inside and out of the museum. As well, Peterson will be joining collaborator and contemporary Shepard Fairey, the renown street artist and owner of The OBEY brand for a discussion at the University of Denver Newman Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 12.
