Beverly Semmes in “Come As You Are: Art of the 1990s” at Monclair Art Museum

Come As You Are: Art of the 1990s

This exhibition marks the first major American museum survey to examine the art of this pivotal decade in its historical context. Showcasing approximately 60 works by 45 artists, it includes installations, paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photography, video, and digital art.  Come as You Are offers an overview of art made in the United States between 1989 and 2001—from the fall of the Berlin Wall to 9/11—and is organized around three principal themes: the “identity politics” debates, the digital revolution, and globalization.  Its title refers to the 1992 song by Nirvana (the quintessential ’90s band, led by the quintessential ’90s icon, Kurt Cobain); moreover, it speaks to the issues of identity that were complicated by the effects of digital technologies and global migration. The artists in the exhibition came of age during and reflect the increasingly heterogeneous nature of the art world during this time, as artists of color, women artists, and LGBTQ artists attained increased prominence.

The exhibition is curated by Alexandra Schwartz, MAM curator of contemporary art, with Kimberly Siino, curatorial assistant. Following its premiere at MAM, the show will embark on a national tour.

Share your favorite 1990s memory or your impressions of the exhibition with #MAM90s.

The Artists

Doug Aitken (born 1968, USA)
Laylah Ali (born 1968, USA)
Janine Antoni (born 1964, Bahamas)
Aziz + Cucher (Anthony Aziz, b. 1961 USA and  Sammy Cucher, b. 1958 Peru)
Alex Bag (born 1969, USA)
Matthew Barney (born 1967, USA)
Michael Ray Charles (born 1967, USA)
Mark Dion (born 1961, USA)
Jeanne Dunning (born 1960, USA)
Andrea Fraser (born 1965, USA)
Ellen Gallagher (born 1965, USA)
Felix Gonzalez-Torres (born 1957 Cuba –  died 1996 USA)
JODI (Joan Heemskerk, b. 1968 Netherlands and Dirk Paesmans, b. 1965 Belgium)
Glenn Kaino (born 1972, USA)
Karen Kilimnik (born 1955, USA)
Byron Kim (born 1961, USA)
Nikki S. Lee (born 1970, South Korea)
Glenn Ligon (born 1960, USA)
Sharon Lockhart (born 1964, USA)
Daniel Joseph Martinez (born 1957, USA)
Julie Mehretu (born 1970, Ethiopia)
Mariko Mori (born 1967, Japan)
Vik Muniz (born 1961, Brazil)
Prema Murthy (born 1969, USA)
Mark Napier (born 1961, USA)
Shirin Neshat (born 1957, Iran)
Mendi + Keith Obadike (born 1973, USA)
Manuel Ocampo (born 1965, Philippines)
Catherine Opie (born 1961, USA)
Gabriel Orozco (born 1962, Mexico)
Pepón Osorio (born 1955, Puerto Rico)
Laura Owens (born 1970, USA)
Jorge Pardo (born 1963, Cuba)
Jennifer Pastor (born 1965, USA)
Elizabeth Peyton (born 1965, USA)
Jason Rhoades (1965-2006, USA)
Beverly Semmes (born 1958, USA)
Shahzia Sikander (born 1969, Pakistan)
Gary Simmons (born 1964, USA)
Frances Stark (born 1967, USA)
Diana Thater (born 1962, USA)
Rirkrit Tiravanija (born 1961, Argentina)
Mark Tribe (born 1966, USA)
Kara Walker (born 1969, USA)
Fred Wilson (born 1954, USA)
Andrea Zittel (born 1965, USA)
Marina Zurkow (born 1962, USA)

This exhibition will travel to the following venues:

Telfair Museum of Art
Savannah, GA
June 12–September 20, 2015

University of Michigan Museum of Art
Ann Arbor, MI
October 17, 2015–January 31, 2016

Blanton Museum of Art, University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX
February 17–May 15, 2016

World House Editions artist Beverly Semmes will be represented by her 1993 sculpture, Famous Twins.

Montclair Art Museum
3 South Mountain Avenue
Montclair New Jersey 07042
phone 973 746 5555
www.montclairartmuseum.org