BLOW UP II: Inflatable Contemporary Art explores the medium of inflatable art with imagery that is figurative, conceptual, and abstract. These large-scale inflatable sculptures, conceived by ten artists and art collectives from around the world, connote fun and whimsy, are familiar yet strange and challenge the definition of art. Here, in an unusual feat, artists use air as an active tool in their work to subvert our perspective and surprise us. BLOW UP II explores the imaginative ways that artists use air as a tool for creating large-scale sculpture and includes imagery that is figurative and abstract. Accessible, yet rich with meaning, these pieces use perception of space to open a dialogue about pop culture and social norms.
Blow Up II: Inflatable Contemporary Art
October 29, 2021
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January 9, 2022
Participating Artists:
Chromaforms (Portola Valley, California), Nicole Banowetz (Denver, Colorado), Sharon Engelstein (Houston, Texas), FriendsWithYou (Los Angeles, California), Joshua Harker (Dexter, Michigan), Susan Lee-Chun (Miami, Florida), Matt Ritchie (San Francisco, California), Lizabeth Rossof (Denver, Colorado), Jen Stark (Los Angeles, California), and Max Streicher (Toronto, Canada).
Blow Up II was organized by Carrie Lederer, Curator of Exhibitions, Bedford Gallery, Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, CA
Image Credit: Matt Richie, rat 136, 2019, nylon fabric, electric fan, 112 x 77 x 116 inches (top)
Lizabeth Rossof, Bart from the 5 Xi’an American Warriors Series, 2019, nylon fabric, electric fan (middle)
Josh Harker, Crania Geodesica: Palloncino Anatomica, 2019, painted vinyl fabric, electric fan, 111 x 96 x 153 inches
