100 Artists See God

“I have too much respect for the idea of God to make it responsible for such an absurd world.” - Georges Duhamel (Novelist & Playwright)

Regardless of one’s point of view—theist, agnostic, atheist, or even anti-theist—we all live in a world that is profoundly influenced by concepts of God and notions of “divine authority.” Curated by US artists John Baldessari and Meg Cranston, 100 Artists See God is a unique and powerful exhibition that brings together works by 100 artists exploring different notions of God, spiritual power and religion. The emphasis is on representation rather than beliefs and reflects the response of individuals who have risen to the challenge of illustrating ‘the divine’ in a single artwork.

100 Artists See God continues the ICA's investigation into new exhibition models that confront issues relevant to the wider concerns of today’s world. In a time where major belief systems clash against each other, often resulting in violent and tragic conflict, the ICA presents this exhibition as a response to Western society’s seemingly unquestionable belief in a rational understanding of the world. 100 Artists See God proposes an open ended contemplation of highly complex belief systems, religion and, ultimately, perceptions of God - a concept that appears outdated, even irrelevant in most Western societies but one that is still immensely valid. The exhibition does not present conventional illustrations of established creeds, but subjective interpretations of spirituality, which collectively reflect the pervasive, often ambiguous way that God exists in and affects our culture.

All artists were asked to contribute a work to the exhibition that in some way deals with their concept of God. Some works represent the artists’ own beliefs, others deal with faith as a subject but do not necessarily reflect the doctrines to which the artists subscribe. Among those participating are internationally renowned and diverse artists such as Damien Hirst, Chris Burden, Rebecca Horn, Mike Kelley, Bruce Nauman, Andreas Gursky, Mary Kelly, Louise Lawler, Martin Kippenberger, Paul McCarthy, Roy Lichtenstein, Ed Ruscha and John Waters as well as many younger artists active across the United States, Europe and Asia.

The works, produced by several generations of artists - many in direct response to the curators’ call for participation - and created in a variety of mediums, displays a broad range of perspectives and an eclectic mix of irreverence and sincerity. While the artworks often reveal idiosyncratic, unexpected viewpoints, the exhibition allows viewers to formulate their own thoughts and concerns by simultaneously revealing and questioning the place of God today and showing how issues of spirituality thread their way through the entire fabric of international culture.

Curators: John Baldessari is an artist and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has shown internationally since the 1960s. Recent solo exhibitions include: Mai 36 Galerie, Zurich, Switzerland, 2003; Marian Goodman Gallery, New York, New York, 2002; John Baldessari, Museo d'Arte Moderna Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, Trento, Italy, 2000/2001; While Something Is Happening Here, Something Else Is Happening There: Works 1965-2001, Reykjavik Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland, 2001. Recent group exhibitions: Video Acts: Single Channel work from the Collections of Pamela and Richard Kramlich and the New Art Trust, Institute of Contemporary Art, London / P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York, 2002/2003; Utopia Station, Venice Biennale, 2003; Jasper Johns to Jeff Koons: Four Decades of Art from the Broad Collections, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, 2001/2002.

Meg Cranston is an artist, writer, and professor at Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles. She has shown internationally since 1988. Recent solo exhibitions include: Rosamund Felsen Gallery, Santa Monica, 2002; Goldman Tevis Gallery, Los Angeles 2001; Los Angeles Printed Matter Inc., New York 1999; Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam 1998. Recent group exhibitions: C.O.L.A. Awards Exhibition, Japanese American Museum, Los Angeles, 2002; Featherweight, Susan Hobbs Gallery, Toronto, 2001.

100 Artists See God
Kuratoren: iCI (Independent Curators International) & John Baldessari, Meg Cranston

mit Reverend Ethan Acres, Jo Harvey Allen, Terry Allen, Eleanor Antin, Brienne Arrington, David Askevold, Lillian Ball, Cindy Bernard, Andrea Bowers, Delia Brown, Edgar Bryan, Angela Bulloch, Chris Burden, Mary Ellen Carroll, Erin Cosgrove, Michael Craig-Martin, Jeremy Deller, Sam Durant, Jimmie Durham, Nicole Eisenman, Katharina Fritsch, Jonathan Furmanski, Jeremy Gilbert-Rolfe, Liam Gillick, James Gobel, Jack Goldstein, Scott Grieger, Andreas Gursky, James Hayward, Micol Hebron, Damien Hirst, Rebecca Horn, Jonathan Horowitz, Darcy Huebler, Igor Isaksson, Christian Jankowski, Jen Liu, Larry Johnson, Helena Jonsdottir, Mike Kelley, Mary Kelly, Martin Kersels, Nicholas Kersulis, Martin Kippenberger, Rachel Lachowicz, Norm Laich, Liz Larner, Louise Lawler, William Leavitt, Barry Le Va, Roy Lichtenstein, Thomas Locher, Daria Martin, T. Kelly Mason, Rita McBride, Paul McCarthy, Carlos Mollura, JP Munro, Bruce Nauman, Jennifer Nelson, Eric Niebuhr, Leonard Nimoy, Albert Oehlen, Catherine Opie, Tony Oursler, Jorge Pardo, Simon Patterson, Hirsch Perlman, Luciano Perna, Renée Petropoulos, Raymond Pettibon, Paul Pfeiffer, Nicolette Pot, Richard Prince, Rob Pruitt, David Reed, Victoria Reynolds, Gerhard Richter, Susan Rothenberg, Nancy Rubins, Glen Rubsamen, Allen Ruppersberg, Ed Ruscha, Pauline Stella Sanchez, Kim Schoenstadt, Jim Shaw, Gary Simmons, Alexis Smith, Yutaka Sone, Thaddeus Strode, Diana Thater, Mungo Thomson, Thorvaldur Thorsteinsson / Helena Jonsdottir, Jeffrey Vallance, John Waters, Marnie Weber, William Wegman, Lawrence Weiner, Benjamin Weissman, James Welling, Eric Wesley, John Wesley, Franz West, Chris Wilder, Christopher Williams, Steven Wong, Mans Wrange / Igor Isaksson, Mario Ybarra Jr.

Stationen:
19.11.04 - 09.01.05 ICA London
09.06.05 - 04.09.05 Contemporary Art Center of Virginia