February 2 – May 2, 2007
Anna K. Meredith Gallery, Art Center on Grand

How will our everyday lives be different in 10, 20, or 50 years? The four artists in Meet the New You offer challenging meditations on this question, each presenting his or her unique version of a brave new world. Some works refer to specific scientific advances, while others deal more abstractly with the concepts of progress and perfection. Society’s constant struggle for perfection, for better or worse, is a major theme of the show.  

Runaway body parts, perfect athletes struggling against unseen forces, and the abstract notion of “paradise” can all be found in Magnus Wallin’s dynamic and disconcerting videos. Photographer Ruud van Empel uses cutting-edge photography and computer technology to populate strangely flawless landscapes with even more strangely flawless children. Another photographer, Sabrina Raaf, creates a world almost exactly like ours—if it weren’t for those changes in gravity. Finally, sculptor Bryan Crockett makes works of haunting beauty that reference classical sculpture as well as scientific advancements.

Meet the New You is organized by Laura Burkhalter, assistant curator.

Sponsored by:

In-kind promotional support is provided by the Spa at West Glen

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Exhibition Related Programs


EXHIBITION PREVIEW PARTY
Thursday, February 1
6 – 8 pm
Music by Melodic Animations—an electronic music duo that will paint a musical landscape for your mind.
Admission $5; members FREE


CONVERSATIONS ON ART
Bryan Crockett and Sabrina Raaf
Thursday, March 29, 6:30 pm
Levitt Auditorium
FREE admission; reservations required

Bryan Crockett’s exquisitely made sculptures explore the scientific and ethical implications of genetic testing. His work does not necessarily take a stand on either side of the debate, but instead “forces us to come to terms with the metaphysical meaning of science.”

Among the topics Sabrina Raaf investigates in her art are how people adapt to new situations, what is routine, and how it becomes that way. Her photographs imagine a world where ordinary people have assimilated to some extraordinary environmental changes or have incorporated new processes into their daily lives. Each artist will deliver an illustrated lecture about his or her respective bodies of work.

*Reservations for this FREE lecture are required and limited.

Reservations are available exclusively through IowaTix beginning Monday, March 12, 2007. Orders are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Order online at www.iowatix.com or by phone at 515.277.3727 (9 am – 5 pm, Monday – Friday). Leaving a message will not guarantee a reservation.
Please reserve only the number of seats you will need.

Reservations placed with IowaTIX will be checked at the Art Center (with photo ID) the evening of the event beginning at 5:30 pm. The Art Center reserves the right to release seats for any unclaimed reservations at the
start of the lecture.


Gallery Talk
Laura Burkhalter, assistant curator
Thursday, April 5, 6:30 pm
FREE admission

Join exhibition curator Laura Burkhalter as she leads an informative tour of the work in the show.


FILM SERIES
Meet the New You and HUG: Recent Work by Patricia Piccinini
All films will be shown in Levitt Auditorium and are intended for adult audiences.
FREE admission.

Skeptical about plastic surgery? Curious about future medical developments? Afraid of not having the perfect body? All of these questions and more will be explored in this film series chosen to accompany Meet the New You and Hug: Recent Work by Patricia Piccinini.