Mar 31 Sunday
Multiple Voices is the first public artwork in the United States by Eva Schlegel, the Austria-based artist known for engineering steel and mirrors into spectacular, architectonic sculptures. Working with materials similar to the arts center’s new building,
Schlegel created a series of polished and translucent surfaces that catch and reflect light and parts of the surrounding environment, encouraging visitors to gather, play and learn.
Poems by Steve Bellin-Oka, Kimberly Blaeser and Joy Harjo appear in blurred form on glass panels, registering each poem as part of the sculpture, but rendered cryptic to the viewer.
For more information: 405-951-0000, okcontemp.org/EvaSchlegel
Image: Rendering of Eva Schlegel's Multiple Voices at Oklahoma Contemporary. Rendering: Damjan Minovski, Architectural team: Valerie Messini.
Descendants of the Black 1000: Flight from Oklahoma Black Towns to Canada features the work of Canadian artist Donna Paris and photographer David Ofori Zapparoli. A selection of 12 photographs with corresponding oral history audio recordings reveals the deep connections between Black Canadians and Oklahoma, from where many of the portrait sitters’ forebears hail. Through photographs, interviews, and archival materials, Descendants of the Black 1000 creates a fuller picture of how Black history in Oklahoma had an international reach, going beyond the state and connecting communities across the continent.
For more information: 405-951-0000, okcontemp.org/descendants
Image: David Ofori Zapparoli, Charlotte Williams (née Mayes), Cheryl Foggo, and Vant Hayes, 2022. © David Ofori Zapparoli. Image courtesy of the artist.
Experience HOME1947: Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy! This immersive exhibition explores the lives and stories of the millions displaced in 1947 during the creation of two new independent nation-states, India and Pakistan. Through a series of short films, virtual reality, photographs, sound installations and more, HOME1947 recreates the long-lost sights, sounds and smells of what millions once called home. Visit okcontemp.org for gallery hours.
For more information: 405-951-0000, okcontemp.org/HOME1947
Image: Video still, Beila, 2017. © Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy. Photo courtesy of SOC Films.
Apr 01 Monday
"Magnificent Beauty: Georgia O’Keeffe and the Art of the Flower" examines explorations of flowers in painting and photography by O’Keeffe and Imogen Cunningham, highlighting their unique interpretations of the traditional subject matter.
O’Keeffe redefined the tradition of floral still-life painting by incorporating techniques of photography (a relatively new medium in the early twentieth century) into her works, choosing to depict the subject cropped and at close range to focus on color and form. While Cunningham also portrayed flowers in close-up, her photographs instead call attention to the play of light and shadow as well as the subject’s intricate details, captured with precision. Magnificent Beauty demonstrates how each artist transformed the traditional subject with a modernist, and at times abstracted, take on the natural world.
At its heart, Industry Night: An Evening Off is a love letter to the service industry and service industry workers. The service industry is a huge part of what makes Oklahoma City great, and this party is for those folks who make our nights out wonderful! Your ticket includes two free drink tickets, light bites, a junk food bar, an awesome raffle, gallery tours, a DJ and photo ops. Relax, enjoy the evening off, and get your tickets today!
Presented by The Garde, Oklahoma Contemporary’s young professionals organization.
Apr 02 Tuesday