CAM announces summer 2013 exhibitions, opening May 24

April 23, 2013 (St. Louis, MO) – The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (CAM) is pleased to announce its summer 2013 exhibition programs. Descriptions of the exhibitions and links to press releases are below.

Lari Pittman: A Decorated Chronology
May 24–August 11
As the centerpiece of its summer 2013 season, CAM presents the first solo U.S. museum exhibition of Los Angeles-based artist Lari Pittman in nearly twenty years. On view May 24 through August 11, 2013, Lari Pittman: A Decorated Chronology is also the first comprehensive presentation of Pittman’s work in the Midwest. One of the most preeminent artists working today as well as a longtime educator, Pittman is a major influence on contemporary painting. Comprising thirty large-scale paintings and a twenty-four-part works on paper series, the exhibition will primarily feature newer work from the mid-2000s to the present. In addition, a number of seminal earlier works will also figure prominently. View the press release.

Mika Taanila: Tomorrow’s New Dawn
May 24–August 11
CAM presents the first solo U.S. museum exhibition of Finnish contemporary artist and renowned documentary filmmaker Mika Taanila. On view May 24 through August 11, 2013, Mika Taanila: Tomorrow’s New Dawn will present a number of significant videos and installations created over the past decade as well as several important new works for the first time. For more than twenty years, Taanila has created works in film, video, photography, sound, and installation that investigate various technological developments and the innovators behind them. He uses the documentary form to consider and often critique the implications of humanity’s drive towards advancement, frequently emphasizing the failure of utopian visions to fulfill their promises and questioning the costs associated with progress. View the press release.

Kerry James Marshall
May 24–July 7
CAM presents a project by Kerry James Marshall—regarded as one of the most important American artists of the past twenty years—as part of its ongoing Front Room series. Based in Chicago, Marshall is known for work in a broad range of media informed by African-American life and history, popular culture, and art history. On view May 24 through July 7, 2013, his project at CAM will be a new, multidimensional installation that examines ideas about scientific transformations of nature as they apply to race and humanity. It is scheduled to coincide with the June 2013 opening of the Saint Louis Art Museum’s new East Building expansion, where one of Marshall’s most significant works, Watts 1963 (1995), will be on view. View the press release.

Snacks, Supports, and Something to Rally Around
July 10–August 11
CAM presents an exhibition by St. Louis-born, San Francisco-based artist Josh Faught as part of its ongoing Front Room series. Faught creates exuberant large-scale textile works that employ an array of techniques—including knitting, crocheting, weaving, painting, and sculpture—along with everyday materials such as sequins, posters, buttons, and Xeroxed images. This formal pastiche echoes the variety of influences and movements that inform his practice, from self-help culture and twentieth-century crafts to feminism and queerness. Invoking familiar items like granny squares and felted sweaters as well as cultural touchstones like the AIDS Memorial Quilt (1987), Faught’s work demonstrates the ability of textiles to be a source of both personal comfort and political agitation. For his exhibition, Snacks, Supports, and Something to Rally Around, on view July 10 through August 11, 2013, Faught will present a new body of work that explores his interests in both structural and emotional support and the ongoing passage of time. View the press release.

About the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis
The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (CAM) presents, supports, and celebrates the art of our time. It is the premier museum in St. Louis dedicated to contemporary art. Focused on a dynamic array of changing exhibitions, CAM provides a thought-provoking program that reflects and contributes to the global cultural landscape. Through the diverse perspectives offered in its exhibitions, public programs, and educational initiatives, CAM actively engages a range of audiences to challenge their perceptions. It is a site for discovery, a gathering place in which to experience and enjoy contemporary visual culture.

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