{"id":4896,"date":"2018-06-20T12:33:36","date_gmt":"2018-06-20T17:33:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mam.org\/info\/pressroom\/?p=4896"},"modified":"2018-06-21T13:04:00","modified_gmt":"2018-06-21T18:04:00","slug":"monumental-multimedia-work-by-contemporary-artist-william-kentridge-comes-to-the-milwaukee-art-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mam.org\/info\/pressroom\/2018\/06\/monumental-multimedia-work-by-contemporary-artist-william-kentridge-comes-to-the-milwaukee-art-museum\/","title":{"rendered":"Monumental Multimedia Work by Contemporary Artist William Kentridge Comes to the Milwaukee Art Museum"},"content":{"rendered":"

“More Sweetly Play the Dance\u201d engages viewers with an immersive, multisensory experience that combines drawing, animation, filmmaking and sound on giant HD screens<\/em><\/p>\n

Milwaukee, Wis. \u2013 June 14, 2018 \u2013 Visitors to the Milwaukee Art Museum will have the opportunity to experience an immersive, large-scale multimedia work by renowned South African contemporary artist William Kentridge<\/strong>, from June 22 through August 19, 2018<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Combining drawing, filmmaking, and animation with a spirited soundtrack, William Kentridge: More Sweetly Play the Dance<\/em> engages viewers in a danse macabre<\/em> (or \u201cdance of death\u201d) that speaks to issues around life, death, migration and displacement. The innovative work features a parade of figures, led by a brass band, projected on giant HD screens that will run the length of Baker\/Rowland Galleries. The figures march against a background of the artist\u2019s drawings, activated through stop-motion animation, while megaphone-style speakers situated in the gallery provide elements of the layered soundtrack.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe presentation of More Sweetly Play the Dance<\/em> not only marks the first exhibition of Kentridge\u2019s work at the Milwaukee Art Museum, it also is the first time that the Baker\/Rowland galleries have been dedicated to a single monumental artwork,\u201d said Margaret Andera, interim chief curator and curator of contemporary art<\/strong>. \u201cThe immersive quality of the installation, combined with the complex and layered construction of the film itself, makes for a unique art experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through his experimentation with and mastery of multimedia, Kentridge explores the artistic and cultural traditions of danse macabre to examine modern issues of equality, morality and joy in the midst of sorrow. The custom of danse macabre dates to the Late Middle Ages; the march follows the figure of death as a symbol of equality of all people and celebrates life.<\/p>\n

Elements of this tradition are found in medieval manuscripts and frescos, Mexican dia de Los Muertos celebrations and the New Orleans tradition of the second line, where funeral attendees joyously stroll along with a brass ensemble. More Sweetly Play the Dance<\/em> presents audiences with a mix of cultural references while exploring a range of social issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cKentridge is a master innovator,\u201d said Marcelle Polednik, PhD, the Donna and Donald Baumgartner Director of the Milwaukee Art Museum<\/strong>. \u201cThrough their subject matter and their execution, his works compel us to look differently at our world. He builds layered experiences that linger long after we come into contact with the work itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

In conjunction with the exhibition, the in-depth documentary \u201cWilliam Kentridge: Anything is Possible\u201d will be shown in Lubar Auditorium each Thursday and Saturday, from June 23 to August 18. The audience can peer into the creative process of Kentridge and get a better understanding of his life and work.<\/p>\n

More Sweetly Play the Dance<\/em> is fourteen minutes long and plays on a continuous loop during Museum open hours.<\/p>\n

This exhibition is part of the Museum\u2019s season of technique and innovation, along with Photographing Nature\u2019s Cathedrals: Carleton E. Watkins, Eadweard Muybridge, and H. H. Bennett<\/em><\/strong>, on view through August 26, and Daring Technique: Goya and the Art of Etching<\/em><\/strong>, on view through September 9.<\/p>\n

William Kentridge: More Sweetly Play<\/em> the Dance was previously on view at the Marian Goodman Gallery, Cincinnati Art Museum. The work is a loan from the LUMA Foundation.<\/p>\n

Presenting Sponsor:<\/strong>
\nMilwaukee Art Museum\u2019s Contemporary Art Society<\/p>\n

Supporting Sponsor:<\/strong>
\nMilwaukee Art Museum\u2019s Friends of Art<\/p>\n

Exhibition Events<\/strong>
\nAll events take place at the Milwaukee Art Museum<\/em><\/p>\n

Film: Anything Is Possible<\/em><\/strong>
\nThursday and Saturday, 1 and 2 p.m.
\nJune 23-August 18 (no screening July 19)
\nLubar Auditorium. Runtime: 60 min.<\/p>\n

Gallery Talks<\/strong>
\nTuesday, June 26, July 17, and August 7, 1:30 p.m
\nWith Margaret Andera, interim chief curator and curator of contemporary art<\/p>\n

Express Talks<\/strong>
\nThursday, July 5 and August 2, noon and 5:30 p.m.
\nTake a 30-minute art break and explore the exhibition with a Museum expert<\/p>\n

Member Drink & Think<\/strong>
\nThursday, July 26, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
\nWith Margaret Andera, interim chief curator and curator of contemporary art<\/p>\n

Performance: Wild Space Dance Company<\/strong>
\nThursday, August 9, 5:00-7:00 p.m.
\nExperience the interaction of live dance with Kentridge\u2019s work, with dancers from the Wild Space Company<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“More Sweetly Play the Dance\u201d engages viewers with an immersive, multisensory experience that combines drawing, animation, filmmaking and sound on giant HD screens Milwaukee, Wis. \u2013 June 14, 2018 \u2013 Visitors to the Milwaukee Art Museum will have the opportunity to experience an immersive, large-scale multimedia work by renowned South African contemporary artist William Kentridge, … Monumental Multimedia Work by Contemporary Artist William Kentridge Comes to the Milwaukee Art Museum<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1255,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exhibition","category-featured-press-release"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mam.org\/info\/pressroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mam.org\/info\/pressroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mam.org\/info\/pressroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mam.org\/info\/pressroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1255"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mam.org\/info\/pressroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4896"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/mam.org\/info\/pressroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4896\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4907,"href":"https:\/\/mam.org\/info\/pressroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4896\/revisions\/4907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mam.org\/info\/pressroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mam.org\/info\/pressroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mam.org\/info\/pressroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}