Brooklyn-based artist Chitra Ganesh kicks off her residency at the Rubin
ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
NEW YORK, NY (April 10, 2018) — Coinciding with her multimedia art exhibition across multiple galleries at the Rubin Museum, Brooklyn-based artist Chitra Ganesh will serve as a “Future Fellow” in residency during May and June. As part of the Museum’s 2018 thematic exploration of the future, Ganesh will curate a series of talks and films that address the future from a variety of angles, including activism, mood, and science fiction. Her “Face of the Future” fellowship programs will bring together notable personalities including activist Linda Sarsour, sci-fi novelist Nisi Shawl, members of the Guerrilla Girls, and restorative justice expert Sujatha Baliga to expand on themes connected to Ganesh’s art practice.
Rubin Museum of Art: "Face of the Future" (Through November 2, 2018); 150 West 17th St, New York, NY; (212) 620-5000; rubinmuseum.org
KICKOFF CELEBRATION
A free public celebration will kick off Ganesh’s fellowship on May 4 from 6:00 to 10:00 PM, with exhibition tours, cocktail specials, music by the legendary DJ Rekha, and the performance “Blessed Avenue” by Jacolby Satterwhite.
FACE OF THE FUTURE: ONSTAGE CONVERSATIONS
What tools and attitudes do we need to be able to face the future? Along with her new exhibition at the Rubin, Ganesh curates a set of conversations to explore multiple possibilities.
The Future of Feminism
Political activist Linda Sarsour
Wednesday, May 9, 7:00 PM
The Future of Transformation
Qasim Naqvi creates new soundscapes for transformative scenes from three iconic sci-fi films: “Metropolis”, “Woman in the Moon” and “Aelita, Queen of Mars.”
Wednesday, May 16, 7:00 PM
The Future of Evidence
Legal expert Alexis Agathocleous + neuroscientist Elizabeth Phelps
Wednesday, May 23, 7:00 PM
The Future of Sci-Fi
Sci-fi author Nisi Shawl and artist collective The Otolith Group (Anjalika Sagar and Kodwo Eshun)
Wednesday, May 30, 7:00 PM
The Future of Mood
Psychiatrist Richard Friedman
Wednesday, June 6, 7:00 PM
The Future of Responsibility
Feminist activists The Guerrilla Girls
Wednesday, June 20, 7:00 PM
The Future of Justice
Restorative justice expert Sujatha Baliga
Wednesday, June 27, 7:00 PM
FACE OF THE FUTURE: FILM SERIES
Ganesh has selected a series of films that reflect pop fiction futuristic elements in her art which will be screened and introduced by artists featured in her exhibition “Face of the Future” at the Rubin.
“Forbidden Planet”
1956, USA, Fred M. Wilcox, 98 min.
Introduced by artist and Future Fellow Chitra Ganesh
Friday, May 4, 9:30 PM
“Gojira” (Godzilla)
1954, Japan, Ishiro Honda, 96 min.
Introduced by artist Tammy Nguyen
Friday, May 11, 9:30 PM
“Ghost in the Shell”
1995, Japan, Mamoru Oshii, 82 min.
Introduced by artist Sahana Ramakrishnan
Friday, May 18, 9:30 PM
“Born in Flames”
1983, USA, Lizzie Borden, 90 min.
Introduced by artist Tuesday Smillie
Friday, June 8, 9:30 PM
“Barbarella”
Introduced by artist Maia Cruz Palileo
Friday, June 22, 9:30 PM
More films to be announced for Friday, June 13 and June 29, 9:30 PM
TWO-PART EXHIBITION NOW ON VIEW
Chitra Ganesh: The Scorpion Gesture
Through January 7, 2019
The scorpion gesture is a mudra in Tibetan Buddhism said to have unlimited power and potential for transformation. With “The Scorpion Gesture,” Ganesh has created a series of new large-scale animation works inspired by the Rubin Museum’s collection. The motion-activated artistic interventions are on view all year in the Rubin Museum’s permanent collection galleries as part of the Museum’s 2018 thematic exploration of “The Future.” Each work integrates Ganesh’s original drawings with elements from paintings and sculptures in the Rubin’s collection. The works are motion activated by visitors in the galleries, where they are projected amidst the traditional artworks on view.
Chitra Ganesh: Face of the Future
Through November 4, 2018
In addition to her exploration of the Rubin Museum’s art collection, Ganesh has also reimagined the visual languages of science fiction and fantasy in “Face of the Future,” which brings together her own new works on paper with posters created by seven emerging artists: Maia Cruz Palileo, Nontsikelelo Mutiti, Tammy Nguyen, Jagdeep Raina, Sahana Ramakrishnan, Anuj Shrestha, and Tuesday Smillie. The works refer to a group of important, influential films largely outside the Western canon.
About Chitra Ganesh
In her drawing-based practice, Chitra Ganesh brings to light narrative representations of femininity, sexuality, and power that are typically absent from canons of literature and art. Her wall installations, comics, charcoal drawings, and mixed-media works often take historical and mythic texts as inspiration and points of departure to complicate received ideas of iconic female forms. Her vocabulary pulls from surrealism, expressionism, Hindu and Buddhist iconography, and traditional South Asian pictorial forms, connecting these sources with contemporary mass-mediated visual languages.
About the Future Fellows
Ganesh’s fellowship is part of the Rubin’s yearlong exploration of “The Future,” bringing together programs, exhibitions, and experiences that invite visitors to consider a future that isn’t fixed but fluid. Neuroscientist David Eagleman and ethicist Karenna Gore join Ganesh as 2018 Future Fellows to create thought-provoking experiences for museum visitors.
“Chitra Ganesh: The Scorpion Gesture” and “Chitra Ganesh: Face of the Future” are made possible by Rasika and Girish Reddy, Manoj and Rita Singh, Akhoury Foundation, and contributors to the 2018 Exhibitions Fund. The exhibition is curated by Beth Citron, the audio/visual design is by David Wilburn, and the design and installation are overseen by John Monaco, all of the Rubin Museum. Works in “The Scorpion Gesture” were developed with and animated by the STUDIO.
About the Rubin Museum of Art
The Rubin Museum of Art is an arts oasis and cultural hub in New York City’s vibrant Chelsea neighborhood that inspires visitors to make powerful connections between contemporary life and the art and ideas of the Himalayas, India, and neighboring regions. With a diverse array of thought-provoking exhibitions and programs—including films, concerts, and on-stage conversations—the Rubin provides immersive experiences that encourage personal discoveries and spark new ways of seeing the world. Emphasizing cross-cultural connections, the Rubin is a space to contemplate the big questions that extend across history and span human cultures.
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| Chitra Ganesh’s "The Scorpion Gesture" series at Rubin Museum through January 7, 2019, in the Second and Third Floor Galleries |
Rubin Museum of Art: "Face of the Future" (Through November 2, 2018); 150 West 17th St, New York, NY; (212) 620-5000; rubinmuseum.org
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| The visitor's presence will transform the Rubin galleries in Chitra Ganesh’s new series The Scorpion Gesture, causing her large-scale animations to appear as if by magic when you walk by select artworks. |
A free public celebration will kick off Ganesh’s fellowship on May 4 from 6:00 to 10:00 PM, with exhibition tours, cocktail specials, music by the legendary DJ Rekha, and the performance “Blessed Avenue” by Jacolby Satterwhite.
FACE OF THE FUTURE: ONSTAGE CONVERSATIONS
What tools and attitudes do we need to be able to face the future? Along with her new exhibition at the Rubin, Ganesh curates a set of conversations to explore multiple possibilities.
The Future of Feminism
Political activist Linda Sarsour
Wednesday, May 9, 7:00 PM
The Future of Transformation
Qasim Naqvi creates new soundscapes for transformative scenes from three iconic sci-fi films: “Metropolis”, “Woman in the Moon” and “Aelita, Queen of Mars.”
Wednesday, May 16, 7:00 PM
The Future of Evidence
Legal expert Alexis Agathocleous + neuroscientist Elizabeth Phelps
Wednesday, May 23, 7:00 PM
The Future of Sci-Fi
Sci-fi author Nisi Shawl and artist collective The Otolith Group (Anjalika Sagar and Kodwo Eshun)
Wednesday, May 30, 7:00 PM
The Future of Mood
Psychiatrist Richard Friedman
Wednesday, June 6, 7:00 PM
The Future of Responsibility
Feminist activists The Guerrilla Girls
Wednesday, June 20, 7:00 PM
The Future of Justice
Restorative justice expert Sujatha Baliga
Wednesday, June 27, 7:00 PM
FACE OF THE FUTURE: FILM SERIES
Ganesh has selected a series of films that reflect pop fiction futuristic elements in her art which will be screened and introduced by artists featured in her exhibition “Face of the Future” at the Rubin.
“Forbidden Planet”
1956, USA, Fred M. Wilcox, 98 min.
Introduced by artist and Future Fellow Chitra Ganesh
Friday, May 4, 9:30 PM
“Gojira” (Godzilla)
1954, Japan, Ishiro Honda, 96 min.
Introduced by artist Tammy Nguyen
Friday, May 11, 9:30 PM
“Ghost in the Shell”
1995, Japan, Mamoru Oshii, 82 min.
Introduced by artist Sahana Ramakrishnan
Friday, May 18, 9:30 PM
“Born in Flames”
1983, USA, Lizzie Borden, 90 min.
Introduced by artist Tuesday Smillie
Friday, June 8, 9:30 PM
“Barbarella”
Introduced by artist Maia Cruz Palileo
Friday, June 22, 9:30 PM
More films to be announced for Friday, June 13 and June 29, 9:30 PM
TWO-PART EXHIBITION NOW ON VIEW
Chitra Ganesh: The Scorpion Gesture
Through January 7, 2019
The scorpion gesture is a mudra in Tibetan Buddhism said to have unlimited power and potential for transformation. With “The Scorpion Gesture,” Ganesh has created a series of new large-scale animation works inspired by the Rubin Museum’s collection. The motion-activated artistic interventions are on view all year in the Rubin Museum’s permanent collection galleries as part of the Museum’s 2018 thematic exploration of “The Future.” Each work integrates Ganesh’s original drawings with elements from paintings and sculptures in the Rubin’s collection. The works are motion activated by visitors in the galleries, where they are projected amidst the traditional artworks on view.
Chitra Ganesh: Face of the Future
Through November 4, 2018
In addition to her exploration of the Rubin Museum’s art collection, Ganesh has also reimagined the visual languages of science fiction and fantasy in “Face of the Future,” which brings together her own new works on paper with posters created by seven emerging artists: Maia Cruz Palileo, Nontsikelelo Mutiti, Tammy Nguyen, Jagdeep Raina, Sahana Ramakrishnan, Anuj Shrestha, and Tuesday Smillie. The works refer to a group of important, influential films largely outside the Western canon.
About Chitra Ganesh
In her drawing-based practice, Chitra Ganesh brings to light narrative representations of femininity, sexuality, and power that are typically absent from canons of literature and art. Her wall installations, comics, charcoal drawings, and mixed-media works often take historical and mythic texts as inspiration and points of departure to complicate received ideas of iconic female forms. Her vocabulary pulls from surrealism, expressionism, Hindu and Buddhist iconography, and traditional South Asian pictorial forms, connecting these sources with contemporary mass-mediated visual languages.
About the Future Fellows
Ganesh’s fellowship is part of the Rubin’s yearlong exploration of “The Future,” bringing together programs, exhibitions, and experiences that invite visitors to consider a future that isn’t fixed but fluid. Neuroscientist David Eagleman and ethicist Karenna Gore join Ganesh as 2018 Future Fellows to create thought-provoking experiences for museum visitors.
“Chitra Ganesh: The Scorpion Gesture” and “Chitra Ganesh: Face of the Future” are made possible by Rasika and Girish Reddy, Manoj and Rita Singh, Akhoury Foundation, and contributors to the 2018 Exhibitions Fund. The exhibition is curated by Beth Citron, the audio/visual design is by David Wilburn, and the design and installation are overseen by John Monaco, all of the Rubin Museum. Works in “The Scorpion Gesture” were developed with and animated by the STUDIO.
About the Rubin Museum of Art
The Rubin Museum of Art is an arts oasis and cultural hub in New York City’s vibrant Chelsea neighborhood that inspires visitors to make powerful connections between contemporary life and the art and ideas of the Himalayas, India, and neighboring regions. With a diverse array of thought-provoking exhibitions and programs—including films, concerts, and on-stage conversations—the Rubin provides immersive experiences that encourage personal discoveries and spark new ways of seeing the world. Emphasizing cross-cultural connections, the Rubin is a space to contemplate the big questions that extend across history and span human cultures.
