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Saturday, April 12, 2008 through Sunday,
October 19, 2008
Robots: Evolution of a Cultural Icon examines
the development of robot iconography in fine
art over the past 50 years. In 1920, the term
robot was coined from a Czech word robota,
which means tedious labor. Since then, the
image and the idea of a robot have evolved
remarkably from an awkward, mechanical
creature to a sophisticated android with
artificial intelligence and the potential for
human-like consciousness. As robotic
technology catches up with the wild
imagination of science fiction novels,
movies, and animation, dreams and fears
anticipated in these stories may also become
reality. Artists included in the exhibition
have responded to the technological
innovation with optimism, pessimism, and
humor, presenting work that ultimately
explores our ambivalent attitudes towards
robots.
The exhibition features sculptures,
paintings, photographs, digital media, and
installations created by more than 20
artists. While some artists meticulously
create portraits or representational
sculptures of robots, others address a range
of social and cultural issues through robot
iconography. For example, in The Battle of
Twin Palms (2004), Jeff Soto comments on
mankind's adverse effect on the environment
by depicting warfare between biomechanical
creatures. Gail Wight\'s Star Struck (2001)
is a tiny diorama of a robot\'s beautifully
detailed, scruffy living room. A toy
mechanical robot is sitting on his easy
chair, his robot dog at his feet, watching
Fritz Lang\'s Metropolis (1927) on his little
TV. The floor is littered with crumpled
Kleenex and the robot is sobbing, his body
convulsing. Lang\'s Metropolis, the first
true masterpiece of science fiction in film,
is about a futuristic city and its Marxist
heroine, a female robot, who comes to a
tragic end.
Despite the exhibition's seemingly
lighthearted appearance, the artists
demonstrate the serious implications posed by
new technology and our physically
disconnected contemporary lifestyle. Both
nostalgic and futuristic, the exhibition
provides visual reflection on the
technological advancements that are fast
becoming an essential part of our
civilization.
Some of the artists in the exhibition
include: Clayton Bailey, Chris Cunningham,
Feric, Nemo Gould, Eric Joyner, Chico
MacMurtrie, Mars-1, Michael McMillen, Michael
Mew, David Pace, Nam June Paik, Alan Rath,
Michael Salter, Lisa Solomon, Jeff Soto,
Jason Van Anden, H.C. Westermann, Gail Wight,
Kow Yokoyama, and Thomas Zummer. The
exhibition is curated by SJMA senior curator
JoAnne Northrup.
Tags : sjma san jose museum art robots nemo gould |
