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miacontemporary.bsky.social
MIA: Contemporary Art (Bot)
@miacontemporary.bsky.social
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Sharing artworks from the Minneapolis Institute of Art's Contemporary Art department. Not associated with the Minneapolis Art Institute.
Automated thanks to @andreitr.bsky.social and @botfrens.bsky.social
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Self-portrait as Artist and Hero, No. 2 https://collections.artsmia.org/art/82213/
head and shoulders of a man with long hair, wearing a wristwatch and a silver ring and holding a camera below his eyes; black and white nude female image at L; blurry woman's face at R
November 20, 2025 at 6:17 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Your Dog https://collections.artsmia.org/art/102644/
white dog standing on all four paws; upright short tail; round red nose Yoshitomo Nara's sculpture Your Dog embodies the spirit of a child's playmate as well as that of a menacing creature, larger than life. Its huge scale reminds viewers how the world looks through the eyes of a child. Nara's work has attracted large audiences around the world, from fine-art collectors to commercial consumers, as it is shown in museums and galleries as well as sold in the forms of T-shirts, children's books, and other commercial goods.
November 20, 2025 at 3:26 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Untitled, from "i-jusi" https://collections.artsmia.org/art/109623/
head and torso of black woman with stars covering her nipples and two Band-Aids across her mouth, wearing a jeweled tiara, two necklaces (one with pendant reading, "NET / BLANKES") and earrings--one with antelope skull and one with wheel; two faux logos for shoe polish and detergent on either side of her head; text and top and bottom i-jusi is the name of an internationally renowned, experimental South African graphic design magazine edited and published by graphic artist Garth Walker. Roughly translated as “juice” in Zulu, i-jusi was first released in 1995, one year after the end of apartheid in South Africa, as a cultural and artistic response to the country’s newly established democratic state. For 15 years, i-jusi has encouraged South African artists to remove themselves from the influence of Western aesthetics and create “a visual language rooted in the African experience.” At its very core, the publication asks the question, “What makes me African'” The i-jusi Portofolio features examples of the most iconic images by South African artists who contributed to the magazine during its run, including David Goldblatt, Anton & Mark Kannemeyer, Brandt & Conrad Botes, Brode Vosloo, and Pieter Hugo. The portfolio consists of 10 lithographs, each signed by the artist, which were selected by designer Garth Walker and art publisher and gallerist Gavin Rooke. The portfolio is a survey of i-jusi’s long history as well as a condensed visual documentary of South Africa’s artists as they journey through the aftermath of apartheid.
November 20, 2025 at 1:58 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Linear Still Life https://collections.artsmia.org/art/2807/
Linear Still Life
November 20, 2025 at 11:32 AM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Soft Machine II https://collections.artsmia.org/art/95943/
functioning handled screw device with a blade at bottom, pointed toward a cloth-covered, padded area on horizontal board; portions painted red and white
November 20, 2025 at 8:38 AM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
#13 https://collections.artsmia.org/art/89567/
see previous exhibition catalog for illustrations of all 50 paintings Artist commentary: In the mountains of Laos the untamed jungles were infested with man-eating tigers. The Hmong had to trap and kill many tigers before it was safe to live there. Fields had to be cleared for housing and farming.
November 19, 2025 at 6:43 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
#25 https://collections.artsmia.org/art/89579/
see previous exhibition catalog for illustrations of all 50 paintings Artist commentary: The people fearing for their lives also left Long Cheng, the CIA secret base. They headed toward Vientiane the capital city. Before reaching Vientiane they have to cross a river. At the river a local officer, also a Hmong took soldiers to the bridge where the people were crossing. There he urged the Hmong people to return to their homes. The people refused and the soldiers opened fire, killing many.
November 19, 2025 at 4:56 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Three Hands https://collections.artsmia.org/art/128089/
two separate photographic images forming one large image; large black and white image of three clasped hands at bottom center; smaller color images surrounding image of hands and handwritten notes in predominately white on black; color images include ethnographic and Western works of art, snapshots, and magazine clippings; blue cloth at left edge; green cloth in LLQ; red coffee cup at bottom left of center; turquoise up in URQ; green bottle, LLQ; framed in black frames The work of Sara Cwynar combines the obsessive materiality of a “hoarder” with the trompe-l’oeil effects of studio photography. Utilizing her vast collection of stock images and everyday items—books, boxes, clothing, dolls, plastic cups, etc.—Cwynar creates arrangements of kitsch objects in the studio that are then rephotographed, reprinted, and scanned to intentionally confuse or complicate a straightforward reading of the image. In Three Hands (2016), the artist begins with a series of found photographs that reference a multinational business transaction from the 1970s. In an attempt to access the meaning behind the hand gestures and cultural as well as financial exchange being documented, the artist visually maps out a dizzying assortment of found images and objects that span the long arc of world history. The resulting image flattens both space and time in its encyclopedic attempt to unpack a moment that is utterly irretrievable.
November 19, 2025 at 2:42 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Fog https://collections.artsmia.org/art/18524/
The painting is an interpretation of fog done in the abstract idiom in tones of white, grey and blue. Unframed. Muse's "Fog" (1960-1962) is indicative of the Abstract Expressionist period that was prominent in Western art from the late 1940's through the 1950's. Muse took up art after he left military service as a young man. He taught art in Newark, New Jersey, and his most famous pupil was the painter, Grace Hartigan. While most of Muse's later works are in gouache on paper this mid-career painting is representitive of his abstract style. Fog is one of the few paintings by Muse that are avaible to be studied. A fire destroyed his studio in the 1970's, which contained works from the 1950's, 60's and 70's.
November 19, 2025 at 10:46 AM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Gathered Hiss https://collections.artsmia.org/art/119433/
abstract image; arcs and jagged forms with sketchy dry-brush black lines; low-relief painted collage elements; irregular colored formed--greens and yellows primarily in ULQ; oranges, blues and greens in LLQ; blues and reds along right edge In this large-scale canvas, Bulgarian-born Iva Gueorguieva combines abstracted fields of paint, cut fabric, scratches, textures, and lines in a chaotic swirl of activity and excess energy. The elements of the painting interact with such vitality that they seem to be in a constant state of metamorphosis. The overall effect of this enigmatic narrative is one of intense physicality that conjures shifting moods of anxiety, violence and heightened emotions.
November 19, 2025 at 9:25 AM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Untitled (seated nude man with horns) https://collections.artsmia.org/art/29285/
Seated, nude man with horns painting portrait of nude woman; red tones throughout
November 18, 2025 at 7:51 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Before the Steam Iron https://collections.artsmia.org/art/21115/
Still life.
November 18, 2025 at 4:27 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Model of Pavilion for Labyrinth Terrace https://collections.artsmia.org/art/12084/
Model of pavilion with person inside; six small painted wood squares are completely removable; model of MIA glass facade with windows drawn in felt-tipped pen
November 18, 2025 at 1:38 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Autumn Leaves (Mirage Painting) https://collections.artsmia.org/art/4200/
Abstraction.
November 18, 2025 at 11:21 AM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Pulse https://collections.artsmia.org/art/119214/
organic, curving, turned wood-like form with central open spaces; reddish finish Considered one of the world’s great masters of contemporary sculpture, Tony Cragg has taken a highly inventive approach to materials and form since he first appeared on the scene in the late 1970s. Pulse represents both his formal and technical brilliance. Made from kerto, a wood supplement commonly used in housing construction, the sculpture complements the museum’s strong collection of decorative, industrial, and craft-based works. Cragg’s sculpture transforms this new type of construction material beyond its initial intentions into an outstanding work of art.
November 18, 2025 at 9:46 AM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Acre (Carnal Clock) https://collections.artsmia.org/art/19493/
Unique timepiece consisting of metal box measuring 5 x 5 feet, with a silkscreened, mirrored Plexiglas face composed of photographs by Rauschenberg, which include genitals, natural forms, and other images characteristic of the artist. A timing mechanism and electrical lights illuminate the hours and minutes; at noon and midnight, the clocks are fully lit. One of several unique constructions from Rauschenberg's Carnal Clock series, Acre is both a work of art and a functioning clock of sorts. When operating, the electric-powered device is designed to sequentially illuminate one or more images in a predetermined pattern. In an early interview, Rauschenberg described the mechanics of the clock: "There are always two lights on; one is the minute hand, and the other is the hour hand and they do what they have to do and it's at midnight and noon that all the lights come on for one minute, and then you get to see the whole thing at once." The construction features both appropriated images and photographs Rauschenberg made specifically for this series, documenting his own body and those of some of his close friends. The work's nudity and sexual content is partially hidden from view by the reflective surface of the light box, slowing the initial comprehension of the imagery. Acre was intended to startle viewers, who were simultaneously confronted with their own reflections and graphic images of naked men and women. On this aspect of the work, Rauschenberg noted: "Carnal Clocks could be considered offensive. I think Carnal Clocks was racy. My flesh tells the time marked by real people who are all still living. It was an embarrassing project. Part of the project was embarrassment as a medium, because it was about my working out my shyness to photograph my friends' intimate parts."
November 17, 2025 at 5:45 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
#7 https://collections.artsmia.org/art/89561/
see previous exhibition catalog for illustrations of all 50 paintings Artist commentary: To prevent the Hmong from ever retaking their land, the Emperor built a smaller version of the Great Wall. The “Hmong Wall” was about a hundred miles long with guard towers to watch over the Hmong.
November 17, 2025 at 5:03 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
1965/1-∞ Détail 1 1,127,688 - 1,151,103 https://collections.artsmia.org/art/10552/
How do you visualize time' For the Polish artist, Opalka, time was more than the calendars and clocks we use to set our daily lives. Time was the pulse of his life approaching his death within the vastness of infinity. From the very first moment until the day he died, when he had reached well past 5500000 (no commas marred his work), Opalka's daily task was to paint numbers and whisper their names into a tape recorder. His day would end with a simple photograph of himself next to the completed painting. Each work was called a “detail” and all had the same title, “Opalka 1965/ 1-∞."
November 17, 2025 at 1:14 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Hurdy Gurdy Man (Chrysanthemums) https://collections.artsmia.org/art/109131/
white Eee computer, two white power cords two DVD-ROMS containing .tiff files certificate of authenticity (copy in object file) installation requirements in object file Hurdy Gurdy Man is an utterly contemporary update to the classic still life, and a signature example of the artist’s work. Steinkamp is at the forefront of artists dealing with digital projection and manipulation. Like most of the artist’s other video installations, Hurdy Gurdy Man explores ideas of motion and perception, testing our responses to forms that are simultaneously familiar and impossible. The contrast between the naturalistic appearance of the flower blossoms in the piece and the artificiality of their movement is an example of the disorienting experiences we construct in our digitized world.
November 17, 2025 at 12:00 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Wise Elders Portraiture Class at Centro Tyrone Guzman with En Familia hay Fuerza, mural on the history of immigrant farm labor to the United States https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127307/
group portrait of seven people all holding pieces of paper with line drawn portraits; man in center kneeling wears tan pants, blue shirt and glasses; first on right is man wearing baggy blue shorts, green shirt, sneakers and blue hat; second figure from right is woman wearing red shirt, blue and pink flowered dress with brown purse at hip; third figure from right is woman wearing light blue t shirt and purple pants who stands behind kneeling man; fourth figure from right is woman wearing green, orange, white and red printed dress, short hear and green bracelet on PR wrist; fifth figure from right is woman in light purple shirt, dark blue pants and light blue shoes; sixth figure from right is man standing in back with blue shirt, gray hair and glasses; faded colorful background depiction various figures; red checkered floor with black and purple designs Centro Tyrone Guzman’s Wise Elders Program provides culturally and linguistically responsive services to support the holistic health and independent living of Latino seniors. Elders play an important role in their community, transmitting their wisdom and Latino culture to younger members. During her residency in Minneapolis, artist Aliza Nisenbaum taught a portrait drawing class to the Wise Elders, asking them to draw each other and their loved ones. Here, the Wise Elders are shown with their own artistic creations against a mural depicting the history of migrant laborers in the Midwest. The painting is a testament to the Wise Elders’ unique character as individuals, their life experiences, and the collective wisdom they impart to their community. Sitters from left to right: Melissa Benitez, Jesús Cazares, Sol, Juana Gonzales Moreno, Nicanor Torres Marcos, Minerva Cazares, Elena Valencia de los Santos, Roberto Arista
November 17, 2025 at 9:17 AM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Polaris https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127084/
children kneeling in a loose circle against a cobalt blue background with constellation patterns Recognized during his lifetime as an important chronicler of the Chinese-American community in San Francisco’s Chinatown and the Hispanic and African-American communities in New York’s Lower East Side, the majority of Martin Wong’s work can be read as an ode to his beloved neighborhood and those who lived there. While much of Wong’s work focuses on the grittier side of life in New York’s East Village, in Polaris, we see a distinctly optimistic and fantastical vision of Wong’s New York. Eight children of various ethnicities sit in a circle and play marbles over a map depicting a night scene of the constellations. The map charts astronomical mythological figures such as Perseus, Cassiopeia, Hercules and Cepheus. Polaris, otherwise known as the North Star, is both at the center of the map and the center of the canvas. The depicted star has a gravitational pull, binding the children together through the cross-cultural significance of the North Star as a global symbol. The painting becomes a proposal for a utopic future. Peaceful and idealistic, the artist collapses the cruel landscape of the mid to late 1980s in New York and replaces it with a utopic picture of global politics, where children play a central role within it.
November 16, 2025 at 5:45 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
#15 https://collections.artsmia.org/art/89569/
see previous exhibition catalog for illustrations of all 50 paintings Artist commentary: The French treated the Hmong poorly and collected heavy taxes, while giving local control to the Laotians. Due to this harsh and unfair treatment, the Hmong rebelled. The French, in their arrogance, couldn’t understand why the Hmong rebelled. They called rebellion “The Mad Man’s War.”
November 16, 2025 at 3:49 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
An Inner Dialogue with Frida Kahlo (Hand Shaped Earring) https://collections.artsmia.org/art/109149/
head and shoulders of figure wearing floral headpiece, brown scarf around shoulders and bronze-colored hand shaped earrings Using makeup, costumes, painting, and sometimes digital manipulation, Morimura Yasumasa has explored the intersection of art and identity by impersonating portraits of famous individuals from art history. He’s posed as Vincent van Gogh, Marilyn Monroe, the Mona Lisa, and, in this case, Frida Kahlo, the Mexican artist known for her lush, surreal self-portraits. Morimura, who calls himself a cross between an actor and a visual artist, says of the work, “The various elements of . . . Frida and myself mix into a muddle and a chemical reaction occurs, creating this imaginary Frida of mine.” Kahlo’s Mexican shawl has become a stylish Louis Vuitton wrap, and instead of fresh flowers Morimura wears a tiara of artificial blossoms.
November 16, 2025 at 1:56 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Donald Sultan https://collections.artsmia.org/art/128280/
painting of four square gallery exhibition posters, with various sizes of text only--no images; ULQ: green ground, Donald Sultan Small Paintings at Blum Helman; URQ: P.S.1 and The Clocktower's National and International Studio Artists Exhibition; LLQ: Santino at Vox Populi; LRQ: December: Richard Prince, David Robbins at 303 Gallery The work of Simon Linke faithfully reproduces the design and typography of advertisements in the art world publication Artforum. His paintings give this otherwise dry imagery an assertive material presence by meticulously applying paint around the text in a thick and heavily textured impasto. In this way, he transforms the average advertisement—a bland mechanical reproduction—into a sensuous, one-of-a-kind aesthetic object. Linke’s paintings address the economic conditions of the art market and its various players (artists, curators, dealers, galleries, art magazines, etc.) in a cool yet critical manner that comments on the ever-increasing commercialization of art. Speaking recently, the artist has commented “"Thirty years ago, art was a specific and autonomous field. Today, it is just one of the many ramifications of the luxury industry. "
November 16, 2025 at 11:37 AM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Untitled 752 https://collections.artsmia.org/art/109261/
dress-shaped open-work form covered in white wax with several white candles embedded around bottom edge Untitled 752 is one of Petah Coyne’s beloved “girls,” a nickname the artist gives to all of her hanging sculptures. Like her sisters, Untitled 752 is an eerie combination of beauty and decay – underneath a thick layer of white wax lie remnants of found objects, their once delicate forms disfigured by the wax coating. The accrual of objects and surface in Coyne’s work can be viewed as symbolic of our own experiences. We all retain memories of relationships and incidents from our pasts, and while older memories may fade as we accumulate new ones, their presence always remains. Coyne emphasizes the potency of memory in her use of found objects, which she believes carry the residue of their former use.
November 15, 2025 at 7:22 PM