CoCA - Destroy All Monsters Info

Info

CoCA presents a sensational exhibition and rare public performance by the extraordinary art collective "Destroy All Monsters." Active in the Detroit area in the early to mid '70s, Destroy All Monsters' original line up included two of the most compelling contemporary artists working today. Their musical performances and art happenings have become legendary, and their influence on today's popular culture is immeasurable. Produced by CoCA's former Program Director Larry Reid, the exhibition opens with a monstrous party and musical performance on Friday, July 14 at 8:00 PM, and continues through August 30.

Destroy All Monsters founding members Mike Kelley, Jim Shaw, and Cary Loren have agreed to reunite for a multimedia presentation at CoCA to commemorate the organization's 20^th anniversary.

The Destroy All Monsters exhibition at CoCA will include archival material from the seminal period of the band and the Detroit counterculture of the era. Loren's pseudo-documentary videos will be screened, and photographs, posters and period artwork will be displayed. Kelley and Shaw are currently completing work on two monumental new murals, roughly 10 x 20 feet each, that make reference to the Monsters formative environment. These murals, exhibited for the first time at CoCA, will complete a series of four works which debuted at the Boyman's Museum in Rotterdam in 1998. In addition, a selection of recent prints and paintings by Destroy All Monsters' demented diva Niagara will be on display.

The opening night gala on Friday, July 14 from 8:00 PM to midnight will feature a rare musical performance by Destroy All Monsters. Their music is conceptual in nature, featuring found instruments, sampled sounds, and dissonant rhythms by Kelley, Shaw and Loren. The artists will be on hand throughout the evening, videos will be continuously screened, and a Detroit music soundtrack will provide the backdrop to an entertaining and enlightening evening.

On Sunday, July 16 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM, Kelley, Shaw and Loren will discuss their work at CoCA. This panel, titled "The Monsters' Mash: Rust Belt Noise, Thrift Store Aesthetics, and the Globalization of Detroit Pop Culture" will be introduced and moderated by Professor Paul Remley of the University of Washington English Department. Remley has a long association with these artists dating to his days as a Detroit counterculture habitue in the '70s. This discussion is sure to shed light on the early influences of these important international art figures.

Funding for Destroy All Monsters was generously provided by Juxtapoz Magazine, Greg Escalante, Shorty's, Marlow Harris and Joe David, The Tall Grass Bakery, the Capitol Club, Sound and the Fury Productions, Morris Graves, Trevor Fairbrother, Roq La Rue Gallery, Dennis Braddock, Ako Lindley, Greg Stumph and Kirsten Olsen, Ries Niemi and Sheila Klein, Christine Bachtel, and anonymous donors.


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	Info CoCA presents a sensational exhibition and rare public performance by the extraordinary art collective "Destroy All Monsters." Active in the Detroit area in the early to mid '70s, Destroy All Monsters' original line up included two of the most compelling contemporary artists working today. Their musical performances and art happenings have become legendary, and their influence on today's popular culture is immeasurable. Produced by CoCA's former Program Director Larry Reid, the exhibition opens with a monstrous party and musical performance on Friday, July 14 at 8:00 PM, and continues through August 30. Destroy All Monsters founding members Mike Kelley, Jim Shaw, and Cary Loren have agreed to reunite for a multimedia presentation at CoCA to commemorate the organization's 20^th anniversary. The Destroy All Monsters exhibition at CoCA will include archival material from the seminal period of the band and the Detroit counterculture of the era. Loren's pseudo-documentary videos will be screened, and photographs, posters and period artwork will be displayed. Kelley and Shaw are currently completing work on two monumental new murals, roughly 10 x 20 feet each, that make reference to the Monsters formative environment. These murals, exhibited for the first time at CoCA, will complete a series of four works which debuted at the Boyman's Museum in Rotterdam in 1998. In addition, a selection of recent prints and paintings by Destroy All Monsters' demented diva Niagara will be on display. The opening night gala on Friday, July 14 from 8:00 PM to midnight will feature a rare musical performance by Destroy All Monsters. Their music is conceptual in nature, featuring found instruments, sampled sounds, and dissonant rhythms by Kelley, Shaw and Loren. The artists will be on hand throughout the evening, videos will be continuously screened, and a Detroit music soundtrack will provide the backdrop to an entertaining and enlightening evening. On Sunday, July 16 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM, Kelley, Shaw and Loren will discuss their work at CoCA. This panel, titled "The Monsters' Mash: Rust Belt Noise, Thrift Store Aesthetics, and the Globalization of Detroit Pop Culture" will be introduced and moderated by Professor Paul Remley of the University of Washington English Department. Remley has a long association with these artists dating to his days as a Detroit counterculture habitue in the '70s. This discussion is sure to shed light on the early influences of these important international art figures. Funding for Destroy All Monsters was generously provided by Juxtapoz Magazine, Greg Escalante, Shorty's, Marlow Harris and Joe David, The Tall Grass Bakery, the Capitol Club, Sound and the Fury Productions, Morris Graves, Trevor Fairbrother, Roq La Rue Gallery, Dennis Braddock, Ako Lindley, Greg Stumph and Kirsten Olsen, Ries Niemi and Sheila Klein, Christine Bachtel, and anonymous donors.