1 of 2
For the ICA's first exhibition, artist Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. created a mosaic of letterpress prints with socially conscious messages. (Photo by Harry Kollatz Jr.)
2 of 2
This self-portrait by Nidaa Badwan from her "100 Days of Solitude" project is part of “Declaration.” April 21 through Sept. 9. 804-828-2823 or ica.vcu.edu. (Image courtesy of Postmasters Gallery, New York)
The Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) is angles, planes and curves; the water features whisper and, when in bloom, the surrounding landscaping will soften the noisy bustle of the intersection. Here, creative endeavors will burst forth in its debut exhibition, "Declaration,” with commissioned work by 33 artists from around the globe and down the block. The grand opening party on Saturday, April 21 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) includes an artists’ alley, makers’ space, music and food trucks.
The exhibition concerns “protest, social justice, connection and creative community,” according to the ICA’s description. This is about the turbulence at the center of world changes.
During an April 12 media tour, architect Steven Holl seemed as giddy as a kid on Christmas morning, unveiling the most anticipated institutional building since the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts' new wing. He pointed out how the door handles are variations on the ampersand symbol (&), often used to indicate "and." One might say this is an indicative connector of the many projects and presentations that will be shown and seen in the new building.
The sense of a great journey is reinforced in the lobby by Martín Bonadeo’s imitation of an airport’s arrivals and departures board that instead displays 82 windows of mobile phone imagery. The beginning screen reads, "Hello world," looking over an airplane's wing at a splendid sunrise.
Observations on ICA’s social media about the zinc-clad structure, long in the planning, include that the building resembles a “broken toaster,” or a comparison to the USS Zumwalt, and, this being Richmond, mention of the Civil War ironclads, the Monitor and Merrimac (CSS Virginia).
The ICA is one of the region’s most technologically advanced and environmentally sensitive buildings. Four green rooftops help insulate the building and also control rainwater runoff; 45 geothermal wells heat and cool the space, while skylights and apertures help change the mood in the galleries as the day passes. There are only two windows in the entire building — one offers a view into lower galleries, but the other window-like surfaces are translucent membranes that are rigged to be lit from within. Terraces, outdoor seating areas and the Ellwood Thompson-run café allow for art-filled decompression and discussion.
Chief Curator Stephanie Smith guided early visitors into Lee Mingwei’s "Mending Project." The installation contains a spool constellation of colored thread placed in a pattern that echoes the shape of the gallery, as does a specially-made table with various folded garments. “Menders” will sit with clothing brought in by gallery-goers and talk with each other. Afterward, the “mendee” will decide whether to take the article or leave it for donation.
Lee Mingwei’s "Mending Project" is meant to be interactive, allowing visitors to bring in damaged clothing items that are altered by "menders." (Photo by Harry Kollatz Jr.)
Smith says, “I’d like to think that down the road, people will stop and talk to each other in the street and say, ‘Where’d you get that done?’ and they'll talk about this experience at the ICA.”
Mingwei spoke about the complex geometry of the space and how its lofty light sources — those translucent membranes — for him resemble the high windows of European 17th and 18th-century museums, churches and artist's garrets in apartment buildings. Chris McVoy, a senior partner with Steven Holl architects, said, chuckling, "Well, and here we were thinking, we were being so modern." He added, though, that the materials and technology available allow spaces like these to exist in a highly contemporary setting.
For certain, one of the most selfie-able pieces in "Declaration" will be the mezzanine installation of GWAR, featuring parts of, well, let's just say, the stage show of the city's longest running art shock-rock trauma artist collaborative. There are ample opportunities for interactivity by visitors, including Marinella Senatore’s ongoing project “Estman Radio” that combines social space and a web radio station within the ICA. Senatore is leading a large group of Richmonders as they collectively write and produce a new radio drama. It premieres as a live performance at the ICA and become spart of the Estman Radio web archive.
Textiles are also an element in the exhibition, as in “One Hundred Days of Solitude,” a selection of photographs by Nidaa Badwan, seen above. The difficult issues with which the greater culture is wrestling are represented: Curtis Talwst Santiago’s mixed media diorama "The Execution of Unarmed Blacks," Titus Kaphar's "Forced Out of the Frame," Paul Rucker's reinterpreted Ku Klux Klan robes, Betty Tompkins' "Women Words" and Levester Williams' "Tar Ball," which is fashioned out of unclean bed sheets from a Virginia adult penitentiary, tar and other materials.
"Our Waters Will Rise," by Lily Lamberta. (Photo by Harry Kollatz Jr.)
Lily Lamberta and All The Saints Theater Co.'s contribution, in the café, is "Our Waters Will Rise," a giant red-tailed hawk holding a snake, and the bird's wings are adorned by statements describing the present predicament of both the political and natural world. And, shining out to the world is Tavares Strachan's neon welcoming, "You belong here."
There is a roster of talks, tours, and art experiences lined up and ready to go.
The ICA will open to the public April 21 and admission will be free. "Declaration" closes Sept. 9.
