The 2013 Carnegie International (October 5, 2013–March 16, 2014) is an ambitious return for Carnegie Museum of Art’s signature survey series, the preeminent exhibition of new international art. And this edition has received excellent reviews. Roberta Smith called it “a welcome shock to the system” and Peter Schjeldahl praised it as being “strikingly thoughtful”.
The International presents new voices rooted in history, a sense of place and play. The exhibition is guided by a shared passion for the individual and the exceptional; for art that celebrates dissonance and beauty; and for artworks that stay in touch with the everyday.
Co-curated by Daniel Baumann, Dan Byers, and Tina Kukielski, it is a conversation among four parts: a major exhibition of new international art, a playground, the museum’s collection, and an engagement with the city of Pittsburgh.
The surprise for me was Pierre Leguillon’s installation view of A Vivarium for George E. Ohr, a 2013 installation including 30 ceramics from the collection of Carolyn and Gene Hecht and one ceramic from the collection of Carnegie Museum of Art.
The title choice is interesting, for a vivarium is different to, say, a kunstkabinet. From the Latin, vivaria means a place for life, an area, usually enclosed, for keeping and raising animals or plants for observation or research. Leguillon became enamored of Ohr for a number of reasons, his work certainly, but also his eccentricity and penchant for self-promotion.
Leguillon is an artist, curator, and writer who has become known for transforming the slide-lecture format into an enlightening, poetic, and witty form of performance art. His “Diaporamas” —slideshows composed of the artist’s snapshots— suggest through juxtaposition unexpected connections and new classification systems. Leguillon also makes enigmatic assemblages and dioramas exploring the work and careers of artists such as Diane Arbus, Ad Reinhardt, George Ohr, and Jean Dubuffet. Leguillon’s work has been featured at institutions around the world, including at Moderna Museet (Malmö, Sweden, 2010), Musée du Louvre (Paris, 2009), and Artists Space (New York, 2009). He published the journal Sommaire between 1991 and 1996, and his writing has appeared in publications such as Purple, Art Press, and Journal des Arts.
Above image: Pierre Leguillon, installation view of A Vivarium for George E. Ohr, 2013. Supported by Etant donnés: The French-American Fund for Contemporary Art © Carnegie Museum of Art.
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