Julian Opie: Signs
Indianapolis Hosts Artists Largest Public Art Exhibition on Display Through September '07
Indianapolis, IN — Julian Opie: Signs, a public art exhibition featuring eleven installations by the internationally recognized artist, Julian Opie opened throughout Indianapolis last month and the artworks will remain in the city through September '07. Several new installations by Opie premiered, which marks Opie's largest outdoor public project ever. Julian Opie: Signs is presented by the Arts Council of Indianapolis with the support of the Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission. The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) has provided additional funding for the premiere of a major installation entitled "Pacing," which is located in the IMA's main entrance.
"We're excited to have Julian Opie, an internationally acclaimed artist in our city and expect his exhibition to build on Indianapolis' reputation as a leader in public art in the Midwest," said Greg Charleston, President of the Arts Council of Indianapolis. "Indianapolis offered me a great opportunity to make an outdoor exhibition in the downtown area," said Julian Opie. "I am showing some older works and a lot of new projects especially made for this venue. The Midwest is "classic" America only known to me through film and TV with skies, long rivers, basketball, rock stadiums, cornfields and pioneers. I feel I come to Indianapolis as a welcome stranger driving into town where both my work and I are still anonymous and undefined. I hope this allows the art to take on new meanings brought to them from the particular character of Indianapolis and the reactions of the people who live and visit there." Julian Opie was born in London, England in 1958 and he lives and works there today. He attended Goldsmith's Art School in London. His artwork has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions around the world and can be found in public collections such as the Tate and National Portrait Galleries in London, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, among others.
Julian Opie creates stylized drawings from his photographic portraits of fashion, music, and racing icons, as well as people and landscapes from his everyday life. He is interested in how we read visual images that we encounter in the world around us. Opie reduces these everyday images to their most essential components, line and color, to make them appear like commercial graphics. As a result, the images are universally recognizable and allow the viewer to think about their association to these "signs." Opie's drawings are brought to life using advertising technology and sign making techniques.
I fell in love with Julian's work a few years ago at the Art Basel Miami Beach art fair and have enjoyed working with him," said Mindy Ross, director of public art for the Arts Council of Indianapolis. "Underneath what appears to be a straightforward almost comic-strip use of line and color, lies an exploration of the role of the individual in an era of mass production and an alluring visual language that marries the banality of street-signs with the slickness of high culture."
Opie's creates a bold visual contrast to Indianapolis' cityscape, which is reminiscent to that of Washington D.C. An electrically lit, towering image of Canadian rocker Bryan Adams rises 16 1/2 feet high in White River State Park, while the city center hosts a series of glass and metal sculptures of Opie's various models. A sky bridge over a busy thoroughfare is wrapped with the vinyl artwork entitled "Christine Swam Amongst the Fishes," while two animated LED (light emitting display) panels one of a man, one of a woman are walking with pedestrians on the busiest intersection in the city. A four-sided LED entitled "Sara Dancing" debuted on an intersection near Circle Center Mall.
Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson said, "After our success last year with Tom Otterness in Indianapolis, city officials and civic leaders embraced a plan of continuing a unique and dynamic program of public art exhibitions. We attracted attention nationwide for our city's commitment to providing high quality opportunities for artists and universal access to the arts."
Julian Opie: Signs is presented by the Arts Council of Indianapolis as part of Public Art Indianapolis a program supported by the Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission. Public Art Indianapolis was initiated in 2004 and encourages the presentation of art by local, national and international artists in public spaces throughout the city.
CONTACT
Barbara Wagner (Rubenstein Associates) (212) 843-8035
Christy Randolph (Hetrick Communications) (317) 262-8080
Mike Knight (Arts Council of Indianapolis) (317) 624-0249
Arts Council of Indianapolis