Juan Munoz: A Place Called Abroad - Hardcover

9780944521397: Juan Munoz: A Place Called Abroad

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0944521398 ISBN 13: 9780944521397

Publisher: Dia Art Foundation, 2000

This book documents two related installation projects by Juan Munoz commissioned by Dia Center for the Arts: "A Place Called Abroad," created at Dia, and "Streetwise," created at Site Santa Fe. Munoz deconstructed the gallery spaces, diagonally cutting through existing walls, in order to create a fictional street. As Lynne Cooke notes, Munoz's street "offers the framework, the props, and the trappings of a narrative without supplying the terms in which such a narrative might unfold."

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From the Inside Flap:

One of the leading artists of his generation, the Spanish sculptor Juan Mu�oz (1953-2001) was known for his diverse and highly original body of work centering on the narrative possibilities of figures in environments. Juan Mu�oz illustrates in full color approximately sixty works—including sculptures, drawings, and several major installations—which will be included in a major exhibition presented by the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Art Institute of Chicago in October 2001.

Mu�oz's early work focused on architectural objects that implied a transitory human presence. Then, defying the trend among progressive artists, he began to introduce figures into his work. Casting his figures in papier-m�ch�, resin, and eventually bronze, Mu�oz limited their size and descriptive details to heighten their psychological impact. In the 1990s, Mu�oz created his signature "conversation pieces," large ensembles of figures installed in indoor or outdoor settings. Calling upon a wide range of sources in literature, music, film, as well as painting and sculpture, Mu�oz's work explores the nature of psychological interaction and engages the viewer on a variety of perceptual levels.

Juan Mu�oz includes essays by Neal Benezra, art critic Michael Brenson, and Olga Viso, as well as an interview with the artist by Paul Shimmel. Also featuring highlights from a 2001 installation commissioned by London's Tate Modern, Juan Mu�oz is the most comprehensive overview of this challenging and exciting artist's work.

About the Author:

Neal Benezra is the deputy director and curator of modern and comtemporary art at the Art Institute of Chicago.

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