Alien Invasion
What is your greatest fear? For some, it's heights, for others closed-in spaces, and still others dread something far more paranormal: aliens. Whether you believe in them or not, for most individuals, "aliens" elicit visions and dreams (or nightmares) of flying saucers, unidentifiable, unknown beings and colorful depictions of misunderstood life invading our own. Alien Nation, an ambitious, and provocative exhibition, on display at The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) until January 14, 2007, explores this real and metaphorical fear of invasion in conjunction with the multifaceted relationship between science fiction, race, and contemporary art.
Curated by John Gill, Jens Hoffmann and Gilane Tawadros and co-produced The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) and The Institute of International Visual Arts (inIVA) , this exhibit features twelve international contemporary artists including Laylah Ali, Ellen Gallagher, David Huffman, Kori Newkirk and Yinka Shonibare, among others. Their pointed use of images and the language of science fiction explain the themes of "otherness," "difference," and "migration," echoing contemporary and historical accounts of racism, terrorism, and integration that are often the products of social fears of cultural difference. As visually engaged onlookers view this multimedia display, which encompasses film, photography, sculpture, and 3D paintings, these visual and aural pieces communicate the parallels between science fiction and real world, human interaction.
21 December 2006