VIVA LA REVOLUCIÓN: A DIALOGUE WITH THE URBAN LANDSCAPE OPENS JULY 18, 2010 AT MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART SAN DIEGO’S DOWNTOWN LOCATION

First international museum exhibition of street art in the United States features artwork both within the Museum and off-site throughout downtown San Diego

April 7, 2010

San Diego, CA— The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) will present Viva la Revolución: A Dialogue with the Urban Landscape, a multifaceted exhibition that explores the dialogue between artists and the urban landscape, opening July 18, 2010 at MCASD’s downtown Jacobs Building location. The exhibition, which will feature works both in the Museum’s galleries as well as at public sites throughout downtown San Diego, will be on view through January 2, 2011.

For the first time in history, the majority of the world’s population lives in urban communities. The urban setting and its corresponding lifestyle are major sources of inspiration in contemporary culture. This is an historic revolution in visual culture, in which the codes and icons of the everyday—found on the streets in graffiti, signage, waste, tattoos, advertising, and graphic design—have been appropriated and used as an integral part of contemporary art-making. The urban landscape inspires and serves as both a platform for innovation and a vehicle for expression for many artists. The city itself, its buildings, vehicles, people, and advertisements, are not only the surface where the art is applied. The city fuels the practice.

The exhibition includes a diverse range of 20 artists from 8 countries that are linked together by how their work addresses urban issues:

Akay (Sweden)
Banksy (U.K.)
Blu (Italy)
Mark Bradford (U.S.)
William Cordova (U.S.)
Date Farmers (U.S.)
Stephan Doitschinoff [CALMA] (Brazil)
Dr. Lakra (Mexico)
Dzine (U.S.)
David Ellis (U.S.)
FAILE (U.S.)
Shepard Fairey (U.S.)
Invader (France)
JR (France)
Barry McGee (U.S.)
Ryan McGinness (U.S.)
Moris (Mexico)
Os Gemeos (Brazil)
Swoon (U.S.)
Vhils (Portugal)

Viva la Revolución: A Dialogue with the Urban Landscape is curated by guest curator Pedro Alonzo and MCASD Associate Curator Lucía Sanromán. Alonzo is a freelance curator who has worked extensively in Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Most recently he curated the Shepard Fairey survey, Supply and Demand, at the ICA/Boston; as well as the major street art exhibition, Spank the Monkey, at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, England; and Generations UsA at the Pinchuk Arte Centre in Kiev, Ukraine.

The exhibition will be comprised of four parts: work inside MCASD’s galleries, public commissions, interventions, and a collaborative site.

MCASD Downtown
The works placed inside the Museum will be made on-site for the exhibition as well as borrowed from the artists and collectors. These works will consist of paintings, sculpture, wall drawings, murals, and installations by artists Dzine, Moris, Banksy, Ryan McGinness, Mark Bradford, William Cordova, Dr. Lakra, Os Gemeos, and others.

Public Commissions
The public commissions throughout downtown San Diego will include photomurals by JR; large-scale murals by Barry McGee, Shepard Fairey, Os Gemeos, Stephan Doitschinoff (CALMA), Blu, and Invader; and a pedicab tricked-out by Dzine.

Interventions
Throughout downtown San Diego, the artists will create un-commissioned outdoor works on authorized locations secured by MCASD, including garages, underpasses, and abandoned warehouses and buildings where the artists will be free to work.

Collaborative Site
Exhibition artists will be invited to create and install ephemeral works in a public setting. The same site will later be opened up to all artists who wish to create their own ephemeral works in this same informal setting to further community engagement.

Catalogue and Related Programs

The 176-page illustrated catalogue will include photo documentation of all works included in the exhibition, both inside the Museum and outside in public spaces; and essays by Curator Pedro Alonzo and Alex Baker, senior curator of contemporary art at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, and former curator of contemporary art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia.

Public programs also will be offered throughout the exhibition’s duration to provide audiences with further context and opportunities to interact with the art and artists on view, including artist talks, bike tours, self-guided walking/trolley tours, and more (schedule to be determined).

Exhibition Support

Viva la Revolución: A Dialogue with the Urban Landscape is organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego with guest curator Pedro Alonzo and MCASD Associate Curator Lucía Sanromán. The exhibition is made possible thanks to generous lead gifts from David C. Copley and Pauline Foster.

Additional support for the exhibition is from the Legler Benbough Endowment Fund at The San Diego Foundation and Paul and Linda Gotskind. In-kind support comes from the Consulate General of México in San Diego.

Related programs at MCASD are supported by grants from The James Irvine Foundation Arts Innovation Fund, the County of San Diego Community Enhancement Fund, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Institutional support for MCASD is provided, in part, by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.

# # #

MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART SAN DIEGO

Founded in 1941, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) is the preeminent contemporary visual arts institution in San Diego County. The Museum’s collection includes more than 4,000 works of art created since 1950. In addition to presenting exhibitions by international contemporary artists, the Museum serves thousands of children and adults annually at its varied education programs, and offers a rich program of film, performance, and lectures. MCASD is a private, nonprofit organization, with 501c3 tax-exempt status; it is supported by generous contributions and grants from MCASD Members and other individuals, corporations, foundations, and government agencies. Dr. Hugh M. Davies is The David C. Copley Director at MCASD.

Institutional support for MCASD is provided by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.

KPBS is the official media sponsor of MCASD.

www.mcasd.org