Artpace Unveils Between the Worlds

A Monumental Installation Transforms the Hudson (Show)Room
09.23.10

SAN ANTONIO, TX - Artpace San Antonio is pleased to announce the opening of Matthew Ronay's monumental installation, Between the Worlds. Ronay has created an experiential environment that transports the viewer into another world-an imaginary "primordial forest." The result of a prolonged dialogue with Artpace Executive Director Matthew Drutt, the exhibition consists of stylized terrestrial flora and fauna as well as sea creatures. The densely packed installation can be read as a woodland retreat, underwater lair, or area within our collective unconscious. Upon walking into the darkened exhibition, the viewer is confronted by intense white patterning-dashes, dots, circles, chevrons, and eyes-on a stark black backdrop that surrounds (and encloses) the environment. The prolific mark making records the artist's presence in the space, and the "all-seeing eyes" heighten the drama. The repetitive use of eyes in Ronay's exhibition is not explicitly clear. However the all-seeing eye can be found in Egyptian, Buddhist, and Christian religions; and in some cultures, the eye is used as a symbol to ward off evil spirits.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Since 2004 New York-based artist Matthew Ronay has created dreamlike installations and sculptural tableaus with psychologically charged subject matter. His earlier, cartoonish objects often addressed sexual or violent imagery constructed with industrially produced medium-density fiberboard (MDF), lending them a cool, machine-produced aura. Recently he has transitioned from these brightly colored, flatly painted sculptures to more self-consciously handmade and organic pieces rendered in dark earth tones that emphasize their materiality. This, along with increasingly theatrical elements, such as refashioning the environment in which the works are shown, demonstrates Ronay's shift from a cynical critique of contemporary popular culture to a more metaphysical investigation of primitivism, archetypes, and spirituality.

Ronay received his MFA from Yale in 2000. He has had solo exhibitions at Marc Foxx, Los Angeles, California (2009); Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York, New York (2008); Lüttgenmeijer, Berlin, Germany (2008); Vacio 9, Madrid, Spain (2006); and Parasol Unit, London, England (2006). His work has been included in many group exhibitions, including Neue Alchemie; Kunst der Gegenwart nach Beuys, LWL-Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte, Münster, Germany (2010); Meet Me Around the Corner: Works from the Astrup Fearnley Collection, Astrup Fearnley Museum for Modern Art, Oslo, Norway (2008); The Incomplete, Chelsea Art Museum, New York, New York (2007); Phantasmania, Kemper Museum of Modern Art, Kansas City, Missouri (2007); Uncertain States of America: American Art in the 3rd Millennium, Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo, Norway (2005); and Whitney Biennial 2004, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York (2004).

EXHIBITION DETAILS AND RELATED EVENTS
Exhibition Dates
September 23, 2010-January 2, 2011

10-minute Tour: Between the Worlds and WindowWorks: Leonardo Drew
Friday, September 24, 2010
1pm

Chat&Chew: Between the Worlds
Friday, October 22, 2010
12:30-1:30pm

Chat & chew! Join Artpace's curatorial staff for a tour of Between the Worlds in the Hudson (Show)Room.

Private Tours
Tours in both Spanish and English are available by appointment. To schedule a group tour, contact Matt Johns at mjohns@artpace.org or call 210 212 4900 x314.

ABOUT ARTPACE
Artpace San Antonio serves as an international laboratory for the creation and advancement of contemporary art. Artpace believes that art is a dynamic social force that inspires individuals and defines cultures. Our residencies, exhibitions, and education programs nurture the creative expression of emerging and established artists, while actively engaging youth and adult audiences.

Artpace is located downtown at 445 North Main Avenue, between Savings and Martin streets, San Antonio, Texas. Free parking is available at 513 North Flores Street. Artpace is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, 12-5 PM, and by appointment. Admission is free.

© 2010 Artpace San Antonio

445 North Main Avenue San Antonio TX 78205 t 210 212 4900 f 210 212 4990 www.artpace.org